Floyd Mayweather has once again sent shockwaves through the combat sports world by unexpectedly naming Oscar De La Hoya among a shortlist of four potential opponents for a blockbuster fight in 2027. This surprise inclusion opens the door to a long-awaited rematch nearly two decades after their historic first encounter captured the imagination of the global sports audience.
Alongside the legendary "Golden Boy," Manny Pacquiao has been handed renewed hope of finally securing another shot at his old rival. Meanwhile, dynamic lightweight star Ryan Garcia and crossover combat sports pioneer Conor McGregor round out the four-strong hit list revealed by Mayweather over the weekend.
The undefeated defensive wizard made his intentions crystal clear while speaking on the Wynn Records stream during Saturday night’s Salita Promotions show in Las Vegas. Outlining his future in the sport, Mayweather made it known that he is targeting another massive spectacle in 2027.
"In 2027, I want a big fight; it could be Ryan Garcia, or it could be Oscar De La Hoya, or it could be (Manny) Pacquiao, or it could be Conor McGregor," Mayweather stated during the broadcast, instantly setting off a fresh wave of speculation, debate, and intrigue across the international boxing landscape.
Of the four names mentioned, the inclusion of Oscar De La Hoya comes completely out of left field. Now 53 years old, De La Hoya has long since transitioned into a prominent promotional role. However, their legendary 2007 barnstormer—a superfight that broke pay-per-view records at the time and remains a subject of intense debate among purists who believe the bout could easily have gone either way—provides an exceptionally rich and compelling backstory for a potential rematch.
That first encounter saw Mayweather edge De La Hoya by a narrow split decision inside a roaring MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The judges scored the bout 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Mayweather on two cards, while the third official scored it 115-113 for De La Hoya. The razor-thin victory awarded Mayweather the WBC super welterweight title and served as another defining milestone in his illustrious, unblemished professional career.
In the immediate aftermath of that defeat, De La Hoya aggressively pushed for a second fight to avenge the loss, but scheduling conflicts, promotional hurdles, and changing career trajectories meant the rematch never materialized. Now, nearly twenty years later, Mayweather has unexpectedly breathed new life into the dormant rivalry, placing his former foe back into the active conversation.
Mayweather and De La Hoya Rematch
The mere suggestion of a second meeting is remarkable, given De La Hoya’s current age and the historical context of his career. The Golden Boy has not competed professionally since suffering a punishing technical knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao back in December 2008, after which he officially announced his retirement from active competition.
Mayweather, meanwhile, is now 49 years old and has been away from officially sanctioned professional boxing since securing a technical knockout victory over Conor McGregor in August 2017. While Mayweather has consistently remained active in the exhibition circuit—traveling the globe to headline lucrative, non-sanctioned showcase events—stepping back into a legitimate professional training camp and ring for a high-stakes encounter is an entirely different proposition.
A second meeting with De La Hoya would undoubtedly summon back the ghost of one of boxing’s greatest modern rivalries. Yet, the logistical reality of their ages presents a staggering milestone: by the end of February 2027, the two iconic fighters will carry a combined age of 104 years old. That single fact alone makes De La Hoya by far the most astonishing name on Mayweather’s curated shortlist, shifting the narrative from a standard athletic contest to a nostalgic spectacle of historic proportions.
Pacquiao Gets Renewed Hope
While De La Hoya represents a nostalgic blast from the past, Manny Pacquiao’s inclusion offers a different kind of narrative—one rooted in years of unfinished business and persistent public demand. The Filipino boxing icon, universally revered as an eight-division world champion, has been chasing another opportunity to face Mayweather for over a decade.
Their initial meeting in May 2015—dubbed the "Fight of the Century"—shattered every existing financial and commercial record in combat sports history. On that night, Mayweather neutralized Pacquiao’s relentless offensive output to secure a clear unanimous decision victory, adding the WBO welterweight title to his collection.
In the years following that historic event, Pacquiao has repeatedly been linked with a prospective rematch. Time and time again, rumors have surfaced regarding renewed negotiations, proposed exhibition structures, and even ambitious venue plans, only for those proposed blueprints to fall apart behind the scenes before a concrete deal could ever be finalized.
Mayweather casually mentioning Pacquiao once again during his weekend stream will undoubtedly provide renewed hope to the Senator’s loyal fanbase and boxing traditionalists alike, raising expectations that the two enduring legends of the modern era could finally share a ring for a second time before hanging up their gloves for good.
It is worth noting that three of Mayweather’s four named potential opponents share a common thread: they are rematches. De La Hoya, Pacquiao, and McGregor have all previously shared the professional ring with the American superstar, and all three suffered defeats at his hands. Ryan Garcia stands alone as the sole fresh opponent on Mayweather’s list, representing a bridge to the current era of elite lightweight talent.
Despite casting a wide net across different generations and combat sports disciplines, Mayweather’s list is notably selective. For all the speculation surrounding potential dance partners for a major 2027 event, undisputed welterweight and junior middleweight standout Terence Crawford remains conspicuously absent from the mentioned names, continuing a pattern of Mayweather looking toward legacy names, superstars, and crossover events rather than current pound-for-pound prime operators.
As the combat sports community processes Mayweather’s latest statements, the landscape of potential future matchups has shifted dramatically. Pacquiao is firmly back in the public conversation, Garcia and McGregor remain viable commercial options, and Oscar De La Hoya has emerged as the ultimate wild card—a ghost from 2007 suddenly summoned back into the modern boxing discourse nearly twenty years after their first epic battle in Las Vegas.
