It has been 11 years since Oscar De La Hoya retired from boxing, but the legendary boxer is ending said retirement and returning to the ring.
De La Hoya, 47, recently told ESPN that he will start sparring in a few weeks and will compete in a real boxing match, not an exhibition bout.
"The rumors are true, and I'm going to start sparring in the next few weeks," De La Hoya said. "It's a real fight. I miss being in the ring, I love boxing. Boxing is what gave me everything I have today, and I just miss it."
De La Hoya last competed in December of 2008, suffering a loss to Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya's confidence stems from his belief that today's boxers are not of the same quality as generations past.
"All these fighters are not of the level that was 15, 20 years [ago], all these fighters are demanding so much money, all these fighters are demanding the moon," said De La Hoya. "And they're forgetting that you must train hard, you must work hard. So that's a huge advantage for me because I know what it takes to train hard, I know how to train smart. I know how to fight smart in the ring. These guys are in it just for the money -- that'll be the big difference. I will fight for the glory, and these guys only fight for the money. And guess what? The glory will always win."
There is no word yet on when De La Hoya will compete again, but he plans on competing at 154 – 160 pounds.
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