Will Oscar De La Hoya Return to Professional Boxing?

As if 2020 wasn’t already slightly askew due to COVID-19, it’s like a time capsule from the 1990s was dropped on the boxing world recently as former champion Oscar De La Hoya has revealed he plans to stage a comeback fight in the near future.
De La Hoya’s announcement comes on the heels of word that Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield plan to hold charity exhibition bouts in 2020. Now the best boxing betting sites have released odds on whether Oscar will fight in 2020 or 2021 and who his potential opponent could be.
The odds for the “Yes” option that “The Golden Boy” will fight this year or next are at -200 (implied odds percentage: 66.7 percent) with “No” coming back at +150.
It should be interesting to see if the 47-year-old still has what it takes to get in the ring and touch gloves since his last professional bout was in 2008 when he took an eight-round beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao.
Here are the betting odds on whether Oscar De La Hoya will fight in 2020 or 2021, with odds on potential opponents also below:
Option | Odds |
---|---|
Yes | -200 |
No | +150 |
Odds as of August 26 at Bovada
Who Would De La Hoya Fight In His Comeback?
With the boxing world seemingly doing a “Greatest Hits” compilation from the 1990s, it’s only fitting that Oscar De La Hoya would jump back into the ring. But here’s the kicker: this bout isn’t expected to be an exhibition. De La Hoya has stated that he wishes to have a pro bout for his next fight and oddsmakers have Amir Khan as his likeliest opponent, according to the latest betting odds.
Khan, who is the former unified welterweight champion, hails from Britain and has a record of 34-5 in 39 pro fights. The 33-year-old would likely be a huge favorite to destroy De La Hoya if that bout was to be announced and it probably wouldn’t go to a decision.
The betting options you should likely avoid are Gennady Golovkin, Conor McGregor or Canelo Alvarez. Triple G and Canelo are supposed to have the much-anticipated third bout in their rivalry while McGregor has said he has retired from professional fighting and/or would likely want to fight a bigger name to get a larger payday.
Boxer | Odds |
---|---|
Amir Khan | +350 |
Jermell Charlo | +400 |
Gennady Golovkin | +500 |
Conor McGregor | +500 |
Canelo Alvarez | +750 |
Jeison Rosario | +1600 |
Patrick Teixeira | +1600 |
Demetrius Andrade | +1800 |
Antonio Margarito | +2000 |
Ricardo Mayorga | +2500 |
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. | +2500 |
Miguel Cotto | +2500 |
Juan Michael Marquez | +2500 |
Shane Mosley | +2500 |
Sergio Martinez | +2500 |
James Kirkland | +3000 |
Odds as of August 26 at Bovada