Oscar De La Hoya had some harsh words for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a letter written to the now-retired boxing champion for Playboy Magazine.
De La Hoya fought Mayweather in 2007, producing what at the time was the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport’s history (Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao broke the mark earlier this year). De La Hoya helped take Mayweather from being a superstar within the sport to a new level of popularity.
Now that Mayweather has insisted he is retired following his win over Andre Berto in September, Oscar has decided to point out all of Floyd’s flaws. In the letter to Mayweather, which appears in the December issue of Playboy, the Golden Boy calls Floyd “boring” and “afraid.”
“Let’s face it: You were boring,” De La Hoya says of Mayweather.
“Another reason boxing is better off without you: You were afraid. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of risk.”
De La Hoya is now a promoter who focuses on setting up the best fights for Golden Boy Promotions. One of Oscar’s best features as a fighter and promoter is that he is unafraid to fight the best or create matches that fans want to see, unlike Floyd.
You took the easy way out. When you weren’t dancing around fading stars (show idea for you: Dancing Around the Fading Stars), you were beating up on outclassed opponents.
De La Hoya also took aim at Mayweather for lying to the public by promising an exciting fight with Manny Pacquiao that didn’t deliver.
Oscar then concluded his letter with a knockout blow of Mayweather when discussing “Money’s” retirement.
Maybe you’ll put your true skills to work and open a used-car dealership or run a circus. Or maybe you’ll wind up back on Dancing With the Stars. It’s a job that’s safe, pays well and lets you run around on stage. Something you’ve been doing for most of your career.
Wow, what a burn from Oscar. But this actually is not new territory for the Golden Boy.
Last year De La Hoya took a shot at rival promoter Bob Arum over a poor undercard for a fight show. That seemed to be in theme with De La Hoya’s overall desire to improve the quality of fights in the boxing world. Then in September Oscar was hard on Mayweather again in a tweet.
Maybe we’re learning that De La Hoya still holds a grudge with Floyd over what Mayweather did two years ago.
