Guaynabo, Puerto Rico --'The Golden Boy' Oscar De La Hoya is rigorously preparing for his May 6 WBC super welterweight championship against Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga at the Wilfredo Gomez Gym in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
De La Hoya is using an extreme and "back to the basics" training regime to prepare for the unpredictable Mayorga. The extreme training drills include intense speed mitt drills, exhausting speed bag interval training, inverted gravity boot sit ups and abdominal strengthening exercises. He is already on weight for the fight and has demonstrated superb conditioning and focus symbolically represented by his nearly shaven head and serious demeanor. The Golden Boy is back!
A day in camp life looks likes this--
5 am – Runs 5 miles everyday.
7:00 to 8:30 am--Calisthetics (push ups, sit ups, etc.) Chops wood for half hour.
9:00 am – Breakfast (egg whites, oatmeal, and fruit.)
10:00am to 2:00pm--Rest
3:00 to 4:00 pm – Family time with newborn son (rejuvenates the spirit)
6:00-8:00 pm. Boxing. School is in session with Mr. Floyd Mayweather Sr.
TEAM DE LA HOYA QUOTES - Oscar De La Hoya, Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., Second Joel De La Hoya Jr. and Conditioner Rob Garcia (Quotes and Photos (taken from April 19 media day in Puerto Rico.)
Oscar De La Hoya
"This fight is very important to me because I want to become a world champion again and I want to retire as a world champion. That being said, I did not want to fight an easy fight so I chose a very dangerous opponent in Ricardo Mayorga. I knew he would bring out the best in me"
"I have worked very, very hard in training camp to show up on May 6 in tremendous shape with no excuses to give the fans what they want and to be ready for anything that Ricardo Mayorga can throw at me"
"If Ricardo Mayorga has been training with chickens, then he is in big trouble because this fight is no joke. I am very serious and for all of the remarks that Mayorga has made about my family, my wife, my heritage and slapping me on the back of my head while I wasn't looking...he is going to pay. I am not much of a talker outside of the ring. I am going to do my talking inside of the ring on May 6 and he is going get what he deserves for saying what he has said."
Floyd, Sr. Mayweather - Trainer:
"This is one of the best camps that we have ever had with Oscar. The long layoff has made him hungry, focused and determined to put a beating on Mayorga come May 6. It is very difficult to train for Ricardo Mayorga because he is so unpredictable and sneaky. He will shove you, punch you in the back of the head and throw you on the ground. This is what makes this fight so risky for Oscar. He has never fought anyone like this before."
"There is a lot of bad blood between these guys and Oscar's biggest challenge is going to be to stick to the game plan and pick him apart early to set up for a knock out later in the fight. This is going to be very difficult for Oscar because it is going to be very tempting for him to go toe to toe early with Mayorga because he wants to put a beating on him."
Joel, Jr. De La Hoya – 2nd
"We've been working on a lot of different things in sparring to help Oscar get ready for Mayorga's unconventional style. The key to this is bring in different sparring partners on a regular basis to keep Oscar always guessing in practice because that is very similar to what the fight is going to be like."
Rob Garcia – Strength and Conditioning Coach / Nutritionist
"Oscar's body has responded extremely well to the time off. In many ways it has been good for him. Here we are 2 weeks out from the fight and Oscar's already making weight. The guy is a work horse and is willing to push himself hard day in and day out and that makes all the difference in the world."
"At 33 years old, strength and conditioning training is done differently than when you are twenty-five years old. We have introduced many new routines into this camp that seems to have really motivated and excited Oscar about being back in action again. He seems as fast, strong and fit as ever:"