Oscar De La Hoya was excited to make his return to the ring, against UFC legend Vitor Belfort on September 11th. However now Vitor will be fighting Evander Holyfield, after Oscar contracted COVID-19.
De La Hoya had not fought since 2008, but was looking to return against Belfort. He was even honest about how he had been using this to help him get back on track after struggling with addiction for years.
Unfortunately it seems that this bout will be delayed, as despite being fully vaccinated, Oscar has contracted COVID-19. He posted to his Instagram to confirm that this bout was off, following initial reports.
“Wanted you to hear directly from me that despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted Covid and am not going to be able to fight next weekend,” De La Hoya wrote.
“Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, and I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support. I am currently in the hospital getting treatment and am confident I will be back in the ring before the year is up. God bless everyone and stay safe.”
Evander Holyfield Replaces Oscar De La Hoya
As terrible as this news is for Oscar De La Hoya, it left Vitor Belfort without an opponent for his debut on Triller. However he did not stay opponent-less for long.
Evander Holyfield has been looking to make his own boxing comeback for a few months, but kept having fights cancelled. Now he will get his wish, as he returns to action against Vitor, replacing the sick Oscar.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTHqvr7r4bV/
It seems that the only hurdle for Evander Holyfield to replace Oscar De La Hoya, is the athletic commission. Although apparently if the commission in California will not sanction the bout, Triller plans to move the event, including the fight with Vitor Belfort, to Florida instead.