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Oscar De La Hoya has urged Floyd Mayweather Jr, the man who tightly outscored him over 12 rounds in 2007, to stop “embarrassing” himself in exhibitions and sort out his financial affairs.
Mayweather, 47, had his last official bout in 2018 when he beat up debutant Conor McGregor to take his record to 50-0 (27 KOs) but has since appeared in eight exhibitions against unbefitting opposition. Last week (Aug. 24) he went eight forgettable rounds with John Gotti III, a rematch of sorts, and even demanded that the referee be changed midway through.
De La Hoya, who abandoned plans to come back and take on Vitor Belfort in 2021, is seemingly unimpressed. “Floyd Mayweather fought another exhibition against Gotti last Saturday,” he said on social media. “A real shit show that had the crowd booing in the arena at the end. But in the middle of the second round, Floyd really had the referee swapped out? Floyd did it because the referee told him to stop hitting behind the head; Floyd is used to having the ref do whatever he wants; he wasn’t getting his way this time. It was so embarrassing.
“Floyd, you’re 50 years old, you’re a legend in the sport. I’ve stood up for you in countless interviews… but you have to stop embarrassing yourself in these exhibitions. I know life is hard, I know life is expensive, but come on, dude – put your legacy first.”
There have been suggestions that Mayweather’s millions are running dry, hence why he continues to compete. Last week it was reported that “Money”, alongside rapper Tyga, had been named in a $4m RICO lawsuit filed by a Miami jeweller.
“Nobody wants to remember you like this,” De La Hoya went on. “It gets worse – your jeweller filed a lawsuit against you in Miami and many are saying you’re going to have to sell off your assets.
“I hate seeing this happen, bro. As I’ve always said, it’s hard to make money but it’s even harder to keep it. Floyd, I’m rooting for you. Come on, let’s turn it around.”