Received No Appreciation for $365 Million Deal, Oscar De La Hoya Finally Reveals What Ignited Beef With Canelo Alvarez and It’s Not Money

In boxing, most feuds are confined to the ring or between two fighters. However, the beef between Oscar De La Hoya and his former star fighter, Canelo Alvarez, has perhaps the most animosity. In a recent pinch, the head of Golden Boy Promotions has spoken out about what started the feud, which eventually led to their separation. 

In September 2020, the Mexican superstar filed a lawsuit against his then promoter, Oscar, and broadcast partner, DAZN Boxing, demanding $250 million in damages for breach of contract. The pair separated in November of the same year. Meanwhile, more recently, as Canelo and Jaime Munguia came face-to-face for their first press conference in Los Angeles, Canelo refused to address Oscar on the stage. So, a reporter from Fight Hype brought up their estranged relationship in an interview with Oscar recently. 

Oscar De La Hoya alleges an interview might be the one to blame 

Answering the reporter, Oscar offered to detail the entire story of how their feud began. Oscar recalled, “One day a reporter asked me, ‘You think Canelo needs another trainer?’ And I said to the reporter, ‘Yeah, I had seven trainers in my career. I learned from every trainer — taught me something new. Maybe Eddy Reynoso can use a little help.’”

Canelo appears to have taken offense at this remark from “Golden Boy,” which Oscar claims got him labeled disloyal. “He said, ‘I wasn’t loyal that — how can I do this? That’s what it was,” said Oscar. He went on to criticize Canelo for being disloyal, highlighting Canelo’s decision to jump ship from PBC. However, it’s worth mentioning that Canelo’s manager claimed they haven’t separated. 

Also Read: Canelo Alvarez Seemingly Calls Oscar De La Hoya Coward, Gives Final Verdict on David Benavidez Fight

Nevertheless, the retired boxer and famed boxing promoter brought up Canelo’s deal with DAZN Boxing, claiming, “When I got him the biggest deal of his life, remember that big contract. Did I receive a thank-you? Never.” While De La Hoya criticized Canelo for never thanking him for the DAZN deal, the same deal may have played a crucial role in their separation. 

The $365 million deal that drew the final straw

The thing is, two years before Canelo sued Oscar and DAZN, he had signed with the broadcaster for an 11-fight deal at a price of $365 million. However, after fighting Rocky Fielding in December 2018, the first fight as per the contract, and Daniel Jacobs in May 2019, things started to sour between all three parties. 

According to ESPN, a representative of DAZN told them that they were under the impression that Canelo would fight Gennady Golovkin for the third time, but Canelo was either uninterested or unaware of it all together. It later came out that Oscar might have made promises to DAZN Boxing regarding Canelo, which the Mexican star wasn’t obliged to fulfill. Regardless, Canelo wanted the money he was promised per the contract, so he sued both DAZN and Oscar. 

Despite Oscar De La Hoya believing Canelo Alvarez should be thankful to him because of the big deal he got him, the reality is that’s the exact thing that caused the separation. However, De La Hoya thinks it’s his comments about Canelo’s trainer that started their feud. What do you think? Should Canelo be thankful to Oscar? 

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