By Mark Lamport-Stokes
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Boxing great Oscar De La Hoya believes Floyd Mayweather Jr. will lose his unbeaten record when he takes on Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in a hotly anticipated welterweight fight in Las Vegas next week.
Mayweather has won all 39 of his career bouts, including 25 by knockout, but the American will be making his first appearance in the ring for almost two years.
“I just have this feeling that Marquez is going to pull this one off,” De La Hoya, arguably the biggest name in contemporary boxing, said in a conference call ahead of the September 19 clash over 12 rounds at the MGM Grand.
“I went down to Mexico and saw him train with my own eyes. I saw how much he bulked up; I saw how much strength he has gained; I saw how seriously he’s taking this fight.
“I’m convinced he will win this fight. He’s looking sharp, he’s looking fast and he’s looking strong.”
Marquez, a Mexico City native who has a 50-4-1 record with 37 knockouts, has beefed up through a brutal training regime highlighted by lifting boulders up a mountain slope.
Read More “De La Hoya tips Marquez to upset Mayweather in Vegas”
