After spending 26 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit, Dewey Bozella was finally exonerated in 2009. While serving time, however, he honed his skills in the sweet science, becoming the light heavyweight champion at New York's infamous Sing Sing prison. When he became a free man, he wanted just one shot at the boxing career that was robbed from him. Tonight, he got that opportunity on the undercard of Hopkins vs. Dawson, scoring a four-round unanimous decision victory over Larry Hopkins in his pro debut at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Evidently, the performance of the 52-year-old Bozella was so inspiring that it prompted future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya to comment about a potential comeback on his official Twitter page.
"Bozella wins and has inspired me to make a comeback," De La Hoya tweeted moments after Bozella's victory. Having been retired for nearly 2 1/2 years now, Oscar has maintained that he'll never fight again, and yet, rumors have continued to surface from time to time about an eventual comeback. So much so, in fact, that one can't help but wonder if a return to the ring in the near future isn't out of the question. Since posting the comment, fans have been abuzz on Twitter with mixed emotions about the possibility of a De La Hoya return. Some think the 38-year-old is delusional for even suggesting it; others think there's still a number of winnable matchups that could be made.
Whether or not De La Hoya will indeed lace up the gloves again remains to be seen, however, you can't deny the fact that Golden Boy Promotions has yet to find a pay-per-view star to replace the income that De La Hoya generated when he fought. Considering that De La Hoya has kept himself in excellent physical condition, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where he eventually does announce his return. Once a fighter, always a fighter, and the more they find themselves surrounded by the memories of the bright lights and the cheers from the crowd, the harder it is to stay away. While I fully expect De La Hoya to soon tweet that he was just joking about the comeback, I would not be surprised to see him make a return to the ring in the summer of 2012.
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