Boxer Oscar De La Hoya hospitalised after contracting COVID

Oscar De La Hoya, an American professional boxer,
revealed on Twitter on Friday that he had caught coronavirus and was in the
hospital undergoing treatment. The 48-year-old stated that he had no choice but
to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Vitor Belfort.

De La Hoya released a video of himself in a hospital bed,
claiming that he acquired the sickness despite being fully vaccinated.

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“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. Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the
last months, & I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support,”
he wrote.

“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.”

De La Hoya, who was named Ring magazine’s Fighter of the
Year in 1995, was set to battle former MMA fighter Vitor Belfort in a
pay-per-view event at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 11. It would have
been his first fight since Manny Pacquiao stopped him in 2008.

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De La Hoya, who has since retired as a boxing promoter,
was scheduled to fight Belfort, 44, at 185 pounds, 40 pounds heavier than he
was when he lost to Pacquiao.

De La Hoya was a professional boxer from 1992 to 2008, and
he had previously retired once. In December 2008, he was defeated by Manny
Pacquiao through a referee technical decision. In May 2008, he defeated Steve
Forbes in a unanimous decision.

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Belfort was a UFC fighter in the past. He last competed in a
boxing fight in 2006, winning by knockout against Josemario Neves. Eight days
before the fight, it’s unclear whether Belfort will find an opponent.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)