Oscar De La Hoya claims he made a fortune from his 2007 fight with Floyd Mayweather. The boxing legend says he pocketed over five times more than his opponent for their Las Vegas showdown.
De La Hoya, known as "The Golden Boy," recently shared on his Instagram show that he earned a whopping $80 million for the bout. He says that's equivalent to about $200 million in today's money. In contrast, he claims Mayweather only took home between $12 and $15 million.
The fight was a big deal at the time. It drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys and packed the arena with celebrities and fight fans. De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy Promotions, put on the event.
"Every celebrity, every person in Las Vegas was there," De La Hoya recalled. "I earned over five times more than Floyd Mayweather."
De La Hoya also revealed he almost cancelled the fight due to a torn rotator cuff. He couldn't throw his left jab after the eighth round but decided to go through with it because of the money and pride involved.
The fight ended with Mayweather winning by split decision. It was for the WBC super-welterweight championship and became the most lucrative boxing match in history at that point, generating over $130 million in revenue.
After the loss, De La Hoya only fought twice more before retiring. His last fight was a loss to Manny Pacquiao. He claims he wanted a rematch with Mayweather, but says Floyd used some tricks to avoid a contract clause for a second fight.
Mayweather, who was four years younger than De La Hoya, went on to have 12 more bouts after their clash. He won them all and retired undefeated after 50 fights. Along the way, he picked up notable wins against Manny Pacquiao, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, and Miguel Cotto.
While De La Hoya's claims about the earnings are eye-catching, they haven't been independently verified. The exact financial details of big boxing matches often stay private, leaving room for debate and speculation long after the final bell.
