"Dana didn't want me to fight" - Georges St-Pierre confirms that the UFC blocked his boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya
Georges St-Pierre has confirmed that the UFC blocked his boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya. GSP revealed that Dana White didn’t want him to fight De La Hoya in the boxing super-fight that was being put together by Triller.
Triller is a social networking platform that allows users to create and share videos. The 2020 calendar year witnessed Triller make waves in the combat sports world, courtesy of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition boxing event (November 2020), which also featured YouTube megastar Jake Paul.
The event was promoted by Triller Fight Club, which is co-owned by Hollywood personality Ryan Kavanaugh and music legend Snoop Dogg.
Triller Fight Club put on another high-profile combat sports event this year (2021), namely the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing event (April 2021). This event was a commercial success for Triller, which in turn has led many to believe that the combat sports promotion is here to stay in the fight game.
On that note, Triller’s Ryan Kavanaugh recently accused UFC president Dana White of blocking MMA legend Georges St-Pierre from fighting boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya in a boxing match promoted by Triller.
Dana White responded to this by asserting that he has no interest in working with Triller and didn’t expound upon whether or not there was any truth to the rumors of him blocking the aforementioned fight from materializing.
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre has now shed light upon his rumored fight with Oscar De La Hoya. In an interview with Cinema Blend, Georges St-Pierre addressed multiple topics.
GSP notably explained that Dana White did prevent him from fighting De La Hoya. Georges St-Pierre stated:
“I understand that Dana didn't want me to fight. However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. I’m turning 40 years old tomorrow; I’m going to be 40 years old. It’s a young man's game. However, to rather fight a boxing match under the rules that Triller put on against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya?”
“For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favorite boxer of all time, behind Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, a lot of the money made would have been given to charity. So it would have been for a good cause, just to show that we don't take ourselves too seriously. And it would have been serious competition because you say, I play basketball, I play hockey, but you don’t 'play' fighting. It would have been fun.”
As noted in the Instagram posts above, Ryan Kavanaugh has addressed the situation and responded to Georges St-Pierre, confirming that Dana White had indeed blocked the fight.
Furthermore, Georges St-Pierre had words of high praise for Oscar De La Hoya. St-Pierre admitted that 'The Golden Boy' is a much more skilled boxer than he is and is one of the greatest boxers of all time.
However, Georges St-Pierre suggested that since De La Hoya is a bit older and smaller than him, their matchup would’ve been more competitive than, say, the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing match.
Besides the Georges St-Pierre vs. Oscar De La Hoya fight situation, Ryan Kavanaugh has also accused Dana White of trying to poach Jake Paul
Triller executive Ryan Kavanaugh had also alleged that Dana White has been trying to poach Jake Paul. Kavanaugh claimed that White is trying to lure Paul away from Triller and get him to fight for the UFC.
Dana White, on his part, was dismissive of these claims and simply indicated that he and the UFC aren’t looking to work with Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh or Jake Paul.
With regard the boxing match between Georges St-Pierre and Oscar De La Hoya, the consensus is that the match is unlikely to come to fruition unless Dana White and the UFC permit St-Pierre to go ahead with it.
Georges St-Pierre is reportedly still under contract with the UFC, despite not having competed in the sport of MMA since November 2017.