In a world where a former reality TV personality can become president of the United States, who's to say that a Hall of Fame boxer couldn't do the same thing?
That's the question Oscar De La Hoya is posing to America as he prepares to run against Donald Trump in 2020.
As reported by The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, the 45-year-old former Olympic gold medalist revealed this week that he has "real" interest in declaring a presidential candidacy for the next election. Promoting a middleweight title rematch in Las Vegas, he told the media that he is in "preliminary" considerations but, according to The Post, is "serious" about challenging Trump.
"It's real," he said of his plans to run, per the Times. "That's the beauty of our nation. If Arnold (Schwarzenegger) can be governor, if Trump can be president, then why can't a Mexican American who won an Olympic gold medal, who's over 35 and a U.S. citizen, run for presidency?"
De La Hoya, who won gold at the 1992 Olympics and claimed world titles in half a dozen different weight classes during his reign in the ring, added that he's matured from days of substance abuse and has been asked to run as a Democrat countless times.
"As I got older, I get wiser," he said. "And as I get wiser, I get smarter. And as I get smarter, I start to realize the millions and millions of people who've told me, 'Oscar, why don't you run for some kind of office? Because you can make a difference.'"
If De La Hoya were actually to run against Trump in 2020, when the latter is up for re-election, it would not be the first time the famed boxer and current MMA promoter has gone head-to-head with the president. As The Post noted, De La Hoya accused Trump of cheating in a round of golf back in 2014, before Trump had secured the Republican nomination for office. The president later responded himself, saying De La Hoya lied and was merely trying to boost ticket sales for a bout he was promoting.