Oscar De La Hoya: Vitor Belfort boxing match 'makes or breaks me'

LOS ANGELES – Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya is 48 years old and hasn’t competed inside the ring since a December 2008 loss to Manny Pacquiao. Almost 13 years later, De La Hoya is making a comeback against 44-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort under the Triller Fight Club banner in what is being dubbed “Legends II” nearly 10 months after Triller promoted the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition.

To be clear, though: this is not an exhibition. De La Hoya vs. Belfort is an actual eight-round bout that will be sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission when it takes place Sept. 11 at Staples Center.

But why?

“When I fight, I give it my all. When I train, I train like a madman,” De La Hoya told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday. “I was just a little tired of all these exhibitions and, you know, when you’re up there, you’re up there to go to war, and that’s what I expect to do. I know he’s a big motherf*cker. But I’ll tell you one thing I’m doing: I’m doing this for the right reason. So mentally and physically, it’s go time.”

It was evident that things weighed heavily on De La Hoya’s mind as he fought back tears on more than one occasion. Although he didn’t address specifics and only referred to his “crazy life,” perhaps he was talking about past transgressions such as a 1998 sexual assault allegation (that he settled out of court in 2001) or his battle with substance abuse for which he underwent treatment.

Whatever was on his mind, De La Hoya made clear why he’s coming back to fight at this stage of his life when asked what “the right reason” is.

“For myself. I’m doing it for myself,” De La Hoya said. “I’ve had a f*cking crazy life – had a crazy life. I’m sorry if I get all emotional and sh*t. I’ve done this for 35 years. I’ve always done it for my family. I’ve done it for my fans all over the world. I’ve gone into the ring and just let it all out, because I love what I do. I love what I represent for people. But I’m finally doing it for myself. I’m doing it for my kids – for Devon, for Jacob, for Tatiana, for little Oscar, for Victoria, you know, for myself especially. I can’t f*cking wait. Can’t f*cking wait.”

He continued, “It’s that inner-fight that I have, you know, that I’ve been having all these years, all the struggles, the pain, you know, all the bullshit. It’s a lot of f*cking pain.

“(This fight) doesn’t help make up for anything, just puts life into perspective. What’s important. And this right here, this fight is f*cking crazy important. It’s what makes or breaks me, so if I have Belfort right in front of me, I’ll tell him, ‘Look, thank you for the opportunity, and I know we’re going to f*cking beat the sh*t out of each other.’ That’s basically it. And it’s going to be fun. Don’t forget that: It’s going to be fun. I love fighting.”

You can watch De La Hoya’s full media scrum in the video below.