The highly anticipated showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford has been widely billed as the “fight of the century.” With growing excitement and speculation surrounding the match, the event is set to be promoted by Dana White and streamed on Netflix. However, Oscar De La Hoya, the legendary former boxer and promoter, isn’t buying into the hype and has voiced his frustrations loud and clear.
In a recent social media post, De La Hoya criticized the growing media frenzy around the fight. The former boxer took issue with several aspects of the fight’s promotion, starting with the significant weight disparity between the two fighters.
“You have Crawford jumping up two weight classes to fight Canelo, who’s a natural light heavyweight,” De La Hoya said. “Crawford, who couldn’t push back Madrimov? Life and death with Madrimov. What do you think Canelo’s gonna do to him? Run him out of the ring.”
De La Hoya’s criticism centers on Crawford’s move to face Canelo, questioning how the 35-year-old Crawford will fare against a much bigger opponent. He is particularly concerned with the disparity in size and strength, which he believes could heavily favor Canelo.
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford face off in the highly anticipated battle, with fans and experts divided on how the fight will unfold. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Dana White’s role as promoter
A major point of contention for De La Hoya is Dana White’s involvement in the fight. The UFC president was announced as the co-promoter alongside Turki Alalshikh and SELA. De La Hoya didn’t hold back, criticizing White’s role in the promotion, especially considering his lack of experience in the boxing world.
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“You know what’s laughable also? Dana White being named the promoter of this fight, considering he’s never been in the boxing space, has no stable of boxers, he didn’t negotiate (expletive). And is being handed this fight on a silver platter, and called ‘promoter.’ He is the trust fund baby of boxing.” De La Hoya said, expressing his disbelief at White’s rapid rise as a boxing promoter.
Clash of schedules: Canelo, UFC, and the fans
Another aspect of the Canelo vs. Crawford promotion that De La Hoya finds troubling is the decision to schedule the fight during the same weekend as UFC Noche Fight Night. De La Hoya has long been an advocate for prioritizing the fans, and he argues that this scheduling clash shows a lack of respect for them.
“Does that not mean this fight is not important? Do they not give a (expletive) about the fans or viewership? Why is it that Canelo has to fight during the day on Mexican Independence Day weekend?” De La Hoya questioned. According to De La Hoya, the scheduling decision reflects a prioritization of money over the interests of fans, something that he believes Canelo is guilty of.
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Looking ahead
As the fight approaches, the tension between De La Hoya and the parties involved in the promotion continues to mount. His critique of both Canelo Alvarez and Dana White adds fuel to the fire, intensifying the debate about how the sport should be managed and promoted. Whether the fight lives up to its “fight of the century” hype remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the eyes of the boxing world will be firmly fixed on this high-profile matchup.
