Oscar De La Hoya Criticizes Quality of Opponents For Canelo Alvarez
In 2020, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (58-2-2, 39KO) parted ways with Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions in a bitter divorce. Yet, De La Hoya never shies away from answering questions about his former protégé. His latest topic is about the quality of Alvarez’s opponents.
It was always in the cards for the undisputed champion to fight WBO mandatory challenger John Ryder. Whether fans like it or not, Ryder earned the right to fight for the titles after defeating Zach Parker in November 2022.
DE LA HOYA QUESTIONS CANELO ALVAREZ LEGACY
Several fans inside the boxing community see this as an easy victory for Alvarez against a lower-tier opponent. During an interview with Fight Hub TV, De La Hoya was very candid about his former fighter’s regression in the level of opposition.
“In terms of opposition, I’m not sure exactly in what direction he wants to go. You know it seems like he’s regressing inside the ring. He’s regressing in terms of picking opponents.”
“He’s fighting all these British fighters and it does nothing to his legacy . . . But, I think Canelo should really analyze carefully who he wants to fight next . . . He has to step up and fight the tough opposition, the tough guys. The guys who are out there who can give him a fight, it’s not the John Ryder’s of this world.”
In fairness, the undisputed champion’s last three opponents were Gennady Golovkin, Dmitry Bivol, and Caleb Plant, who are not British. Moreover, he has fought seven guys from the United Kingdom throughout his career, with the last two being world champions Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith.
His legacy is intact as a four-divisional champion to go along with the undisputed status. This comment is not going to go over well with the Alvarez fanbase. De La Hoya will go viral as fans hit back by calling him a hater.
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