Oscar De La Hoya speaks on doing business “Canelo” Alvarez
It’s been no secret that among boxing circles, there’s quite a bit of tension between Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs). Business partners since 2010, their relationship can only be described as icy, to say the least.
During a video online interview with Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, De La Hoya disclosed publicly what many know privately regarding his relationship with Canelo.
“In all these years I’ve been in boxing, I’ve learned it’s all business. In boxing, there’s no loyalty. It’s sad but that’s what I’ve lived. Canelo’s a great fighter, I consider him my friend, but it’s business, that’s it.”
From a financial perspective, the boxing marriage between the two has been gold, as evidenced by Alvarez’s record-breaking $365 million deal with DAZN in October 2018. The 29-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico is the highest-paid boxer in the sport.
On the other hand, Alvarez has looked at De La Hoya with venom due to his belief that it was Golden Boy’s fault that led to failed negotiations against then-IBF world Middleweight mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko. That situation led to Alvarez being stripped of the IBF Middleweight title on August 1, 2019.
For De La Hoya, he said it’s his experience as a promoter, as well as an ex-fighter that informs him how to deal with “Canelo” or any other boxer.
“You learn how to maneuver. You keep your guard up, that’s it. Me being a fighter, I know how to protect myself. So I take that into my business life as a promoter and I use it to the best of my abilities.”
Fighters are fighters. They have to protect yourselves at all times, like noted boxing referee Joe Cortez said.
Boxing is in many ways a cold and cutthroat business. There’s how managers/promoters deal with a fighter at, and away from, the negotiating table. To quote Nino Brown in 1991’s New Jack City “My brotha, it’s always business, never personal”. It seems, for De La Hoya, that’s his attitude about one Canelo Alvarez.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
