No boxer can have been as well nicknamed as Oscar De La Hoya. The Golden Boy tag he adopted was in recognition of winning a medal of that colour at the Barcelona Olympics, but De La Hoya, who grew up in relative poverty in East Los Angeles, really does have the Midas touch.

He is the only boxer to win world titles in six weight divisions, as a promoter he has ousted Don King and Bob Arum to become the biggest in the business. his business interests include a huge property portfolio and he even had a successful music career.

So what could drive De La Hoya, 35, to hang up the suit to get back in the ring? Tonight, at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles, the home of David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy, a year on from a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr, De La Hoya faces Steve Forbes.

It is the first of a planned three bouts this year, which, if he wins tonight, will include a rematch with Mayweather on September 24 and a farewell contest in December. “My cut man, Joe Chavez, who's over 70 and has been in this business for ever, tells me if you're tired of training, if your mind doesn't want to train, that's when you should retire,” De La Hoya, who has boxed twice in the past 31 months, said. “Well I'm not there yet.”

De La Hoya has been reunited with Floyd Mayweather Sr, who trained him before the bout with Floyd Jr. This time, Floyd Sr says that he will be happy to be in De La Hoya's corner against his son.

De La Hoya knows that he cannot overlook Forbes, a former IBF super-featherweight champion. “I've been training so hard for this fight just like if it was the most important of my life,” De La Hoya said. “And it is. It is because I don't feel like a champion, I'm not a champion, I feel like a contender. My focus is Stevie Forbes, but the main goal is to beat Floyd Jr. I'm still fighting because I want to be on top again. I'm still fighting because I want to be champion again.”

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