Oscar De La Hoya believes the pound-for-pound number two spot has now been occupied by one unbeaten star in particular.
Since ending his own legendary fighting career, ‘The Golden Boy’ has had a successful promotional career to date where he has worked with a number of generational greats including Canelo Alvarez, Bernard Hopkins and Manny Pacquiao.
In more recent years, De La Hoya has played a key role in the professional career of unbeaten super-welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz Jr, who currently holds the WBC ‘interim’ world title at 154lbs.
Speaking just moments after Ortiz’s recent victory over Erickson Lubin, De La Hoya claimed that he believes the unbeaten Texan ranks in the top two of the current pound-for-pound rankings, presumably, in his view, neck and neck with Terence Crawford.
“Top two, top two.”
Ortiz then responded to this claim made by ‘The Golden Boy’ as he admits it ‘means a lot’ to him.
“I mean it makes me feel great, especially coming from someone like Oscar who has done so much for the sport of boxing while he was professional and after he’s retired so it definitely means a lot.”
The pound-for-pound list is often subject to plenty of debate, with the likes of Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue all regularly named as possible options for the top spot.
As for Ortiz, he is now being linked with a potential match-up with fellow countryman Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, with reports suggesting that the unbeaten American duo are set to lock horns in the first quarter of 2026.
Former unified welterweight champion ‘Boots’ entered the ring just moments after Ortiz’s second round stoppage victory over Lubin, sparking rumours of what could be one of the most intriguing clashes in boxing.
