-Photo Credit: D M Warr/BRC-

    One of Boxing's most popular and successful stars Oscar de la Hoya is nearing his return showdown with Ricardo Mayorga on May 6th. Oscar has been training for four months in Puerto Rico for the showdown. Oscar met with the press on Wednesday during a national conference call. As usual Oscar was very classy and well spoken during the call. He even did what many fighters will not do, talk about future fights. Oscar had a lot to say, especially about Mayorga's trash talking tirades. Here's a little of what the Golden Boy had to say...

                    Oscar de la Hoya

-On why he's coming back to fight, when he's got so many other things going on- "I feel as an athlete that at 154 pounds I can close the books on the many chapters I've written. I want to go out as a world champion.

-On what gets him going at this stage of his career-  "At this point of my career it's the motivation that gets me going, and Mayorga has lit that inside me. I went full steam ahead in my training. This is what I need to get up for fights like this.

-On how Mayorga's trash talking has affected him- "The way it affects me is that it makes me better. My blood's boiling and he did get under my skin. I want to hit him hard as I can, but I have to keep my cool and fight my fight. I want to fight angry and scared. I'm anxious to teach him a lesson.

-On his training regimen in Puerto Rico- "We've sparred with four guys in Puerto Rico who fit the Mayorga mold. Two of these guys were very strong 175 pounders, and one who has Mayorga's style but is very fast. We are covering all angles with speed, power and pressure. I loved this training camp, because I was able to go home each night to my family and sleep in my own bed. I like having that family support behind me.

-On what he wants to do to Mayorga- "I want to teach him a lesson really bad. My demeanor will be the same, but my conditioning is better. I'm not going to just dance around and box, I'm going to stay in front of him in a smart way and move my head. It's gonna be a long night for him.

-On how he plans to fight Mayorga- "I'm gonna stay in front of him and use my head movement and my defense. With wild punchers you got to know how to stand your ground, and stay on your toes with his pressure. He's gonna bring out the best in me, which I'm looking forward to.

-On his future plans after May 6th- "My plan is to win in May, and to have my retirement fight on September 16th, I seem to always fight on that date. I'm very focused on this fight, but my plan is to have one more mega fight in September. It has to be a mega fight. I've thrown out some names like Winky Wright, Mayweather Jr. or even Trinidad. It's a matter of analyzing who the best opponent would be for me.

-On possibly fighting Mayweather now that he's free from Top Rank- "I used to always say that I would never fight Floyd Jr. out of respect for Floyd Sr. So, I would have to sit down with Floyd Sr. and talk to him about it. But, yes I'm putting his name out there.

-On Mayorga's verbal attacks- "He's been attacking everything about me from my family, heritage and even my wife. He's done his job to get me motivated and be the best I can be. Whatever little games he tries to play he can't play them with me.

-On possible ring rust- "We have prepared for everything. I trained four months in advance to get the rust out. About three weeks ago I finally felt it click with my speed and my timing. My body feels rested and I feel more energy.

-On where he plans to attack Mayorga- "You have to attack the body. It's like chopping down a tree, keep chopping till it falls. I'll use my jab and work the body, and the head will go.

-More on Mayorga- "I feel he's bad for boxing. He crossed the line. You don't insult someone's heritage, wife, or family. As a promoter, I wouldn't want him in our stable.

-On co-promoting with Don King- "To tell you the truth we have been doing everything for this fight. He's a great promoter, and we have had no problems with him, and we will probably work with him again. He does know how to get fights made.

-On whether Golden Boy Promotions would ever work with Top Rank- "We want our fighters to fight the best fighters, so I would have no problem  working with Bob Arum. But, that's up to him, and he's said in the past that he would never work with us.

-More on Mayorga's antics- "I don't hate him, I don't even know him. He just started disrespecting my wife, my family, and my heritage. When opponents talk like that you have to defend yourself, and I'll do that in the ring. It started back during one of the commercials we were filming for the fight, and he just lost it. Then he slaps me in the face during one of the press conferences. You don't do that, it's disrespectful. He's pumped me up a lot and he has gotten under my skin. But, he has gotten into my head.

-More on September 16th- "September 16th will be the last night I lace up my boxing gloves, and hopefully I go out as a world champion. I have a lot of intriguing options for that day. With Winky Wright, I could kill two birds with one stone, because he beat both Shane and Trinidad."

4-27-2006

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