It will be known within the next few days regarding Oscar de la Hoya’s choice of who will be his formidable opponent for his scheduled December 6 farewell fight of this year, Golden Boy Productions CEO Richard Schaefer has told the LA times.
Schaefer, who is vacationing in Europe and who also calls the shots in handling de la Hoya’s career, said that another round of consultations with de la Hoya himself, who owns the LA based GBP, and Top Rank head Bob Arum, should determine who it is going to be.
GBP has the 17,157 seat MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on hold for de la Hoya’s swan song, which ringsiders believe will be made memorable by the Prize money and the prospect of becoming the new pay per view record.
Schaefer told former LA times sports editor and now columnist Bill Dwyre that the result of the welter title clash between Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Mexican Antonio Margarito will be a factor in the selection of de la Hoya’s final rival.
However, Manny Pacquiao is also high in the shortlist with a possible choice for a showdown with the Golden Boy.
De la Hoya, the legitimate pay per view champion, has already confirm that he is willing to get down to welter (147 lbs) to face off with Pacquiao, who is acknowledged as the world’s best fighter pound for pound.
GBP vice president Eric Gomez, a childhood friend of de la Hoya told the local boxing aficionados here, that what at first considered to be a fantasy fight may possibly become a reality.
In Manila a few days back, Pacquiao told sports editors, columnists and fight scribes of major broadsheets and tabloids, that his eyes are aiming on a lucrative de la Hoya showdown not only because of financial benefits but because according to Pacquiao is a dream come true for him to fight a legend like de la Hoya.
In the event de la Hoya dumps Pacquiao and picks Cotto, Margarito or somebody else instead, Arum will line up Pacquiao against of either Humberto Soto of Mexico or Edwin Valero of Venezuela.