Oscar De La Hoya Dismisses Devin Haney, Floyd Mayweather Comparison but It’s Not Why You Think

Back in the day, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought a closed-pitch battle. Their contention transcended over to their business subsequently. However, it never prevented ‘The Golden Boy’ from lauding the sheer boxing genius of the former five-division champion.

Likewise, in Devin Haney, he finds an outstanding professional who wants to scale the heights the sport offers. In doing so, the rising star might as well trample over the career of the very boxer whom De La Hoya promotes. A logical stream of thoughts would envision a natural dislike for such an antagonist. But no, the Olympic gold medalist doesn’t believe so. Credit should be given where it’s due. Even an innocuous comparison between Mayweather Jr. and Haney failed to bring out any form of disapproval from the former six-division champion.

Oscar De La Hoya: It’s Mayweather Jr. AND Devin Haney, not Mayweather Jr. versus Haney

So a reporter from FightHype quipped that De La Hoya must have gone over Devin Haney’s previous fights and his workout sessions. Hence, was he able to foresee any distinction between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and ‘The Dream’? Otherwise, was he able to find any similarity between the way the two approached a fight?

The Olympic gold medalist replied that Devin Haney enjoys his own unique style of fighting. His methodology stands out and is quite different from the rest. He added, “He’s going to write his own his own story his legacy is going to be what what he makes it um I can see why people compare because of the styles you know um but only time will tell seriously only time will tell.” ‘The Golden Boy’ appreciated the fact that Devin Haney wanted to enter the pages of history. He wanted to fight the best the division currently offered.

Then he elaborated on how the current weight classes comprising 147, 140, and 135 pounds have become so exciting. The sheer line-up each division offers makes it possible for all the top names to go against each other. That’s practically what he had planned for, he revealed.

Acknowledging the Roots

However, it will not be the first time that Oscar De La Hoya speaks so highly of Devin Haney. Last year, while wishing the season’s greetings, he called out ‘The Dream’, as the ‘the best 140-pounder in the world’.

Earlier in the interview, he also shared the kind of terms he enjoys with the young champion’s father. “He (Devin) was brought up by a good man; that’s what I respect about Bill. You know, I’ve spent a lot of time with him at my home in Vegas on the plane, flying, you know, and I respect that and uh and he keeps him in line, and you know, he keeps him focused and hungry.”

Oscar De La Hoya has spent considerable time handling dual careers, both as a boxer and as a promoter. As a result, he had to navigate through some serious rivalries and grave disagreements. However, the issues at hand never sullied his vision. He could see through the inherent natures of men, both within and without the ring.

Read More: “Loyalty Is a Lifestyle, Not an Action”: Floyd Mayweather Calls Out Oscar De La Hoya for Skipping Davis vs. Garcia Post-Fight Press Conference

Do you agree with what Oscar De la Hoya said? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Also Read: “F**k Off”: Oscar De La Hoya Blasts Floyd Mayweather While Blaming Him for Influencing Ryan Garcia to Snub Devin Haney for Rolly Romero Fight