Former Boxer Oscar De La Hoya Says He'll Run For President In 2020
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - International Boxing Hall of Fame member Oscar De Lay Hoya confirmed rumors of a potential 2020 presidential bid today while speaking at a press conference for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight in Las Vegas.
The former six-weight world title holder told the gathered media that he is preparing for a campaign and that part of the greatness of America is the fact that anybody can run for public office.
"That's the beauty of our nation," De La Hoya continued. "If Arnold (Schwarzenegger) can be governor, if (Donald) 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?"
According to KHOU, De La Hoya claimed to have begun thinking about a presidential bid years ago before confidently stating that he would be able to garner significant support.
"As I got older, I get wiser 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.'"
According to Sports Illustrated, De La Hoya believes that his experience promoting fights combined with the wealth he accumulated during his career allows him to "consider a real run".
The boxer also stated that he would run as a Democrat, theoretically opposing current President Donald Trump. De Lay Hoya has already gotten into a public scuffle with President Trump, having accused him of cheating at golf in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Trump responded to that claim at the time, saying that he "respects the game too much to cheat and is good enough to have won a number of club championships," in an interview with the Associated Press.