Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya and superstar boxer Canelo Alvarez will likely never fight in the ring, but they’re nearing a fight in front of a judge.
Canelo Alvarez will return to the boxing ring against Jaime Munguía in Las Vegas on Saturday. He returns to defend his super middleweight titles after three consecutive victories.
An intriguing storyline of this weekend’s fight is the bad blood between Alvarez and his former promoter, De La Hoya. After becoming a multiple-division world champion, Alvarez parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions in 2020 in favor of Matchroom Boxing.
Tensions ramped up on Wednesday between the two sides at the Alvarez vs. Munguía pre-fight press conference. De La Hoya used his podium time to mock Alvarez’s history of failed drug tests, to which Alvarez responded by using a homophobic slur and coming face-to-face with his former promoter.
At the press conference and in media scrums, Canelo Alvarez accused De La Hoya of stealing from fighters. He alleged that his three-time opponent, Gennady Golovkin, was never properly compensated by De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions.
This accusation has prompted De La Hoya to take legal action against Alvarez. In a recent social media post, De La Hoya shared a formal cease and desist letter against Alvarez and his legal team.
Oscar De La Hoya issues ‘cease and desist’ to former pupil Canelo Alvarez
You can read De La Hoya and Golden Boy’s full cease and desist letter below.
Despite legal distractions, Alvarez appears locked in to earn another dominant victory on Cinco de Mayo weekend. He’ll face a tough task in Munguía, who has accumulated a 43-o professional record.
De La Hoya entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014. He retired as one of the top boxers of his generation, earning wins against Arturo Gatti and Ricardo Mayorga.
Two of Mexico’s greatest athletes are firmly at odds, and the bad blood between Alvarez and De La Hoya is in its infancy.