20.01.08 – By Matthew Hurley: According to a report filed by ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Oscar De La Hoya will take a tune-up fight on May 3rd now that his rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been moved to September 20th. De La Hoya’s return to the ring will not be a pay-per-view show, rather it will be broadcast on HBO..
“Oscar wants to do it on free television, not pay-per-view,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN. “He wants to give something back to the fans who have supported him for all these years. He wants to make tickets affordable wherever the fight takes place. We want to have $10 and $20 tickets. If it’s in Los Angeles, it will be like a homecoming.”
De La Hoya, 38-5 with 30 KOs, had been hoping for a mega-fight showdown with Ricky Hatton were Hatton to defeat Mayweather in their December bout but saw that match up crumble when Hatton fell in the 10th round. Although Oscar tried to pump up Hatton’s performance as justification for still making the fight, it was obvious that fans and media alike were having none of it. However, for his May return, De La Hoya is still fishing in junior welterweight waters. Steve Forbes, IBF champion Paulie Malignaggi and Dmitriy Salita are being discussed as possible opponents.
Schaefer also indicated that along with the May tune-up and the September rematch with Mayweather, Oscar would finish his career with a final bout in December. Schaefer also acknowledged that Floyd Mayweather Sr. would return as Oscar’s trainer.
De La Hoya has not fought on a non pay-per-view card since he knocked out Arturo Gatti in the fifth round back in 2001. Schaefer says that Oscar’s May 3rd opponent should realize that money wise the contracts wouldn’t include pay-per-view dollars.
“We’ll be looking at names and see what kind of deal we can cut,” he said. “But if the opponents think they are going to get the kind of money Oscar’s opponents on pay-per view get, they are mistaken.”
Oscar lost a split decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in his last ring appearance in May. It was the richest fight in boxing history.