Associated Press
NEW YORK ó The Golden Boy got the golden fight he wanted. Turns out it won’t be the last one, either.
Shading his eyes in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, Oscar De La Hoya said Wednesday that he wants to fight at least a couple more times after taking on Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas, in what is sure to be the biggest fight of the year.
“There’s no doubt about it. My mind can still do it, my body can still do it,” said De La Hoya, on the first stop of a promotional tour that will include such landmarks as the Alamo and Golden Gate Bridge. “I’m going to ride the wave for a little while.”
The 10-time champion will be coming down to 147 pounds for the first time since beating Arturo Gatti more than eight years ago. Accustomed to being the smaller fighter, for once it was De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs) who towered over his opponent when they stood face-to-face on a platform with the skyline of lower Manhattan in the background.
Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs), considered the current pound-for-pound king, is only six months removed from fighting Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 pounds.