De La Hoya Still Considering Options

No matter where he goes, no matter who he sees, Oscar De La Hoya gets the same two questions: Will you fight again? If so, against whom?

At age 33, coming off a victory by technical knockout over Ricardo Mayorga on May 6, De La Hoya said Thursday he does not yet have the answers.

He has had plenty of input, from wife Millie (This might be a nice way to go out), from father Joel (You don’t have to fight again), from business partner Richard Schaefer (Whatever you want to do) and from countless acquaintances and fans.

But the voice De La Hoya will ultimately listen to is his own.

“I have to sit down with myself now,” he said.

He will do so in the coming days, as far removed from outside influences as he can be, alone aboard his boat, the Tommy Crown, while circling the island of Culebrita off the coast of Puerto Rico, where he has a home. And there, he said, he will make a final decision.

De La Hoya ruled out several opponents Thursday -- Ricky Hatton (too light) and Felix Trinidad (too heavy) -- leaving Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Winky Wright as the most likely possibilities.

But first, De La Hoya must decide if he wishes to go full speed ahead on his boxing career or simply sail contently into the sunset.

-- Steve Springer