Oscar De La Hoya has continued his cold war with Canelo Alvarez as the pair prepare to go to battle by proxy on Saturday night.
The legendary former fighter used to be Alvarez’s promoter until they split in acrimonious circumstances at the end of 2020. But they will be reunited for the first time in a business sense on Saturday night when Canelo takes on Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Alvarez is an heavy favourite despite Munguia’s undefeated record and world championship pedigree. But many are more keen to see the battle outside of the ring as De La Hoya and his ex-fighter prepare for a big fight week together.
Oscar De La Hoya brands Canelo Alvarez the ‘diva of boxing’
While neither man has taken particularly aggressive shots as yet, it is expected that fight week will see the feud heat up. And at a media workout last week, Munguia’s promoter did begin to lay the groundwork, taking subtle jabs at his rival’s descent from his athletic peak.
“Canelo has all the tools,” De La Hoya said during the live stream. “But those tools are getting rusty, it happens in boxing. As much as you want to put WD40 on your elbow and your knee it just happens, age doesn’t forgive, father time.
“Right now Munguia is in the perfect position where he has to execute and follow his gameplan. Freddie Roach is a perfect coach for Jaime, they’ve already had a fight together and he’s going to push him to the limits which Jaime loves because he’s young and fresh.
“Then you have Canelo who has been through wars. He’s had operations on his shoulders, his knees, he’s tired. He’s now the diva of boxing, so all that plays into this fight we’re going to see on May 4. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a great fight.”
Canelo Alvarez doesn’t want Oscar De La Hoya ‘anywhere near’ him as fight week approaches
Part of this week will be a pre-fight press conference that will put De La Hoya together again with Alvarez for a rare joint appearance. But the undisputed super-middleweight champion doesn’t want anything to do with his old promoter, telling BoxingScene that they have no relationship.
The pair didn’t meet during negotiations for the fight. Instead, Alvarez’s promotional outfit allowing PBC to take the reigns while Munguia’s co-promoter Fernando Beltran was the main contact for the challenger’s camp.
“I’m not interested in being a friend to him. I’m good where I am,” Alvarez said. “I have nothing to do with him. I wish all the best for him, and that’s it. But I don’t want him in my life. I don’t want him near me or close to me. I don’t want those kinds of vibes in my life.”
Oscar De La Hoya threatens to ‘unleash’ on Canelo Alvarez as first reunion approaches
After hearing the latest comments from Alvarez, who generally likes to keep quiet about De La Hoya, the Olympic gold medalist began an attack of his own. He declared that his former charge takes personal shots at him.
It followed a tweet from De La Hoya mocking Alvarez’s performance in his launch press conference with Munguia that read: “Yesterday’s press conference was so boring like Canelo’s fights. Wait till I unleash.”
“The only thing [Alvarez has] against me is my personal life,” De La Hoya told BoxingScene after hearing about their interview with Canelo. “You want to keep kicking a man while he is down, at the time? I never talk s*** about [Alvarez] in his personal life. I keep it to boxing.
“That’s what I know. I have every right to criticize because I have been there as a 10-time world champion in six divisions. I know what’s going on inside the ring. If he wants to attack me in my personal life, then shame on him…”