Oscar De La Hoya told fellow boxing legend Floyd Mayweather to “stop embarrassing yourself with these exhibitions” a little over a week after Mayweather went the distance with John Gotti III.
In a video he posted to Instagram, De La Hoya called the bout a “s–tshow that left the crowd booing,” referencing the referee swap that occurred after Mayweather took clear issue with how the original ref was calling the action.
Mayweather hasn’t fought professionally since beating UFC star Conor McGregor in 2017. The 47-year-old has remained active through exhibitions that are personally lucrative but don’t make for great spectacles. His initial matchup with Gotti was notable largely for a post-fight brawl rather than for anything that transpired before that.
Mayweather certainly isn’t bolstering his legacy with his current career path, but he has little incentive to stop as long as he keeps earning paychecks. And when it comes to how he’s remembered from a historical perspective, what the unbeaten multi-divisional champion achieved in his prime will always take precedence.
If anything, an argument could be made that unofficial exhibitions are a better use of his time than if he had tried to hang on for too long and was soundly beaten by younger challengers, a fate that often befalls great boxers.
It’s doubtful that Mayweather will give much thoughts to De La Hoya’s recent comments and give up what has been a good thing.
