The MMA and boxing world celebrates Mexico’s Independence Day on September 14. Canelo Alvarez defends his super middleweight title against Edgar Berlanga while The Sphere hosts UFC 306. It’s expected to be a great night in Las Vegas for combat sports.
Even though both events will be competing, there are no hard feelings. UFC CEO Dana White even said he wishes Canelo and Al Haymon the best. One person who won’t be doing that is former world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
De La Hoya, promoter of Golden Boy Promotions, has a conflict with Canelo and White. However, he may well miss the former’s fight altogether. He is willing to back one enemy in White and stick another in Canelo.
Will Oscar De La Hoya be at UFC 306?
De La Hoya announced on his Clap Back on Social Media his intention to attend UFC 306 at The Sphere, and not the Canelo fight at T-Mobile Arena.
“We’re a week away from the boxing fight that nobody asked for and the UFC event that everybody’s going to watch,” De La Hoya said. “Canelo fights Berlanga, another boring ass. They’re trying to sell a $90 pay-per-view and $500 minimum in person. It’s just a steal at this point to pay for another Canelo fight that always goes all the way against a subpar opponent.
“I’m actually going to the UFC event at The Sphere. I love boxing more than anything. I’ll watch boxing fights anywhere, anytime, even if it’s just a sparring session between two bums fighting on the street. So the idea that I’m going to go to a UFC event and support Dana White over Canelo, that’s all you need to know.”
De La Hoya will face Canelo vs Berlanga, a fight that turned heads when it was announced. Many boxing fans were hoping that Canelo would face David Benavidez, a dream fight.
White even confirmed that De La Hoya would be at his event, saying that De La Hoya would be coming with Turki Alalshikh, Golden Boy and the UFC partnering with Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
Oscar De La Hoya-Canelo Alvarez Beef, Explained
De La Hoya and Canelo are multiple champions and have entertained millions in the ring, albeit at different times. Both are also successful businessmen who worked together at one point.
Canelo has long fought for Golden Boy, signing with the promotion in 2010. In 2018, Canelo signed a $365 million contract with DAZN and the promotion. Eventually, Canelo filed a lawsuit against DAZN and Golden Boy and accused the two of breach of contract. He sought damages of up to $280 million after disagreements over potential opponents and payouts.
“You can see there’s no loyalty in him,” Alvarez said of De La Hoya in 2019 at The Athletic before facing Sergey Kovalev. “He’s changed coaches throughout his career. He’s changed managers throughout his career. So there’s no loyalty. That’s just the way he is. We’re seeing it now.”
A representative at DAZN told ESPN The deal was thought to include a trilogy of fights between Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin. Canelo’s team claimed they didn’t get it. He was also stripped of the IBF middleweight title after a fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko didn’t happen.
I am very angry and ashamed towards my fans, to have been unfairly stripped of my belt by the IBF, but especially when I was not aware of the agreement that the matchmaker GBP had signed.
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) August 2, 2019
After the lawsuit was settled, Canelo was released from his contract with Golden Boy. He then re-signed with Golden Boy when he faced Jaime Munguia in May.
At the pre-fight press conference, Canelo and De La Hoya got into a war of words. After years of talking over each other, they finally found themselves in the same room. De La Hoya decided to start things off with a bang.
“I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez as a fighter; his record and ability speak for themselves,” De La Hoya said. “But he spent a lot of the last two months insulting me rather than promoting this fight. Yes, I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life. Yes, I’ve been to rehab a few times. And yes, there have been times when work wasn’t a priority because of my mental health, which I neglected for so long.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that Golden Boy built Canelo Alvarez – period. The company you fought for for decades has only ever had one name, and that’s mine… so give it some respect.”
Canelo reacted to this remark and told De La Hoya not to talk to him like that. Canelo then stated in Spanish and English that De La Hoya was stealing money and only cared about himself.
“He tried to steal money, and he’s an asshole, that’s what I said,” Canelo barked after speaking in Spanish at the start. “He tried to draw attention to himself, not to Munguia. He’s an asshole. He stole from his fighters. That’s what he does.”
That was the last time they interacted. De La Hoya won’t interact with Canelo at all this weekend, but he’ll definitely have something to say about the Mexican warrior at UFC 306.
