Oscar De La Hoya 'is fighting a real fighter' unlike Floyd Mayweather, says De La Hoya's next opponent Vitor Belfort.
Former six-weight world champion De La Hoya, 48, is preparing for his boxing comeback against former UFC light heavyweight champion Belfort in Los Angeles on September 11.
The 44-year-old Brazilian is a -140 favourite with the bookmakers to win on his return to the ring against an opponent who has lost three of his last five fights.
“It means that you paved the way, and looking back to what’s going on right now, Oscar is fighting a real fighter,” Belfort told MMA Junkie. “[He’s] not like Mayweather looking for a YouTuber who has one loss and zero wins.
"He’s fighting with the guy who holds the most knockouts in UFC history until today.
“He won gold medals, and I could not achieve that because this is one of the greatest things – to become an Olympian.
"So I think Oscar did everything. He is no doubt the best boxer of all time, and for me to be able to compete against him and be able to go toe-to-toe with the best boxer, it’s a dream come true, no doubt about it. But it’s hard work.”
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De La Hoya, who was beaten by Manny Pacquiao in his most recent outing, thinks Belfort is the perfect opponent to push him in his comeback fight because the Brazilian will be more willing to stand and trade with him in the pocket.
But Belfort (1-0, 1 KO) has sounded a note of caution, claiming the 'Golden Boy' of boxing should be careful what he wishes for.
“I believe if he does so, he knows what’s going to be there,” he added. “He explains that so I don’t see as hell. I don’t like hell. Hell is a place of negativity. I see a joy.
"For me, staying in the pocket is joyful. I was in the pocket with a lot of sparring partners fighting. I love it. It’s great.
"So remember, if you don’t have joy in what you do, what you do is a burden. So I describe hell as a negative, and I don’t let nothing come negative into my mind.
"I’m looking for war. I’m excited for it. I’m looking at this as a heavenly place for me to stay in the pocket with Oscar.”
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