Oscar De La Hoya’s recent comeback announcement has sparked wild speculation within the boxing community on who will be in the opposite corner to the Golden Boy this summer.
Participating in his first fight since being outclassed by Manny Pacquiao at the backend of 2008, De La Hoya’s return to the ring is likely to be a huge event considering the reception his adoring public granted him during his prime years.
Lucrative options such as UFC star Conor McGregor and arch-rival Floyd Mayweather have consistently been linked to the De La Hoya comeback story, and the latest name to emerge is Roy Jones Jr.
Despite their legendary careers largely running side by side, Jones was far removed from the middleweight class that De La Hoya briefly occupied in 2004 so a money-spinning battle between the pair was never close to happening. That could change.
"I spoke to Roy today and he is feeling great, and is willing to fight Oscar De La Hoya," said Alfy Smith, Jones Jr's trainer, in an interview distributed via press release.
"I know that they never got to fight based off weight classes before, but now would be the perfect time to give the fans a great fight that they'd thought they would get to see.
"De La Hoya has one of the greatest left hooks in boxing history, Roy has a devastating hook as well, we shall see who will be the real ‘Captain Hook.’”
Jones Jr., who returned on last November against Mike Tyson in a well-received pay-per-view that saw the two former heavyweight champions fight to a draw, is now looking to test himself another highly-regarded fighter of the modern era in De La Hoya.
"The fans all over the world love Roy Jones Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya,” continued Smith. "This is a great fight, an exciting matchup where you would only dream it up in a video game, now we have a chance to make it a reality.
"Roy is still active and training every day, he’s in tremendous shape and his speed is still crisp.”