It has been more than a decade since Oscar De La Hoya set foot in a boxing ring as a competitor. That, however, did not stop "The Golden Boy" from offering a bold prediction of how a fight with UFC superstar Conor McGregor would go.
"Two rounds," De La Hoya said when asked about the hypothetical fight on CBS Sports' State of Combat podcast. "Oh come on, brother. Two rounds. One thing about me is I went for the kill, always. Look, Conor McGregor -- I love him in the Octagon, I respect him, I watch him all the time. But the boxing ring is a whole different story, it's a whole different story."
Listen to the complete interview with Oscar De La Hoya on the State of Combat podcast with Brian Campbell below.
The 47-year-old De La Hoya's in-ring career ended in December 2008 when he was stopped by Manny Pacquiao after eight rounds of action. Before retiring, De La Hoya had won lineal championships in three weight divisions and world championships at six different weights while one of the biggest boxing stars in the world in the 90s and 2000s.
After his retirement, De La Hoya transitioned fully to being a promoter, focusing on Golden Boy Promotions, which he formed in 2002.
The statement on the "fantasy fight" from De La Hoya has provoked a response from the Irish MMA superstar, with McGregor tweeting, "I accept your challenge, Oscar De La Hoya."
McGregor has only stepped into the boxing ring once as a professional, fighting Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. The fight with Mayweather ranks as one of the biggest fights in history as far as business done on PPV and at the gate. While McGregor was more or less dominated in the fight before a TKO in Round 10, many fans were impressed with his effort as he faced the top pound-for-pound boxer of the era.
McGregor has since repeatedly expressed a desire to continue his boxing career and has been tied to talks for a fight with Pacquiao over the last year.
