"I would gladly extend a helping hand" - Oscar De La Hoya offers to assist Dana White in starting a boxing promotion
Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya have had several very public verbal battles over the years, but De La Hoya is willing to put that animosity behind him and help White start a boxing promotion if he's still interested.
White famously teased the start of a new boxing promotion dubbed Zuffa Boxing back in 2017, but the plan fizzled out before it started. In 2020 White declared the sport "a mess" and officially shut down the idea.
Dana White has said that Zuffa Boxing has hit some 'potholes' and speed bumps' which need to be dealt with before it can be announced.
🚨 Dana White has said that Zuffa Boxing has hit some 'potholes' and speed bumps' which need to be dealt with before it can be announced.
#UFC245 #UFC https://t.co/WPPesUE1C6
If White does become interested in investing in the sweet science again, he has an unlikely ally in Oscar De La Hoya. The boxing legend and Golden Boy Productions promoter is someone White has never hesitated to attack during interviews. In contrast, De La Hoya claims he is willing to show White the ropes of the boxing business. In an interview with SHAK MMA, he said:
"All power to Dana for trying. What the Fertitta brothers and Dana did with the UFC is incredible. Boxing is a fragmented sport. There's so many promoters, so many fighters that are with different promoters. It's really tough to consolidate the whole sport. But there's always a way. I would gladly extend a helping hand or maybe even a partnership with Dana White and Golden Boy Promotions, you know. It's like I'm actually extending the olive branch here, and maybe even working together. ... There's a formula on how to work with fighters, managers, networks, so Dana if you're still interested, I'm more than happy to discuss, to talk on how we can possibly consolidate or fix this sport once and for all."
Watch Oscar De La Hoya suggest partnering with Dana White below:
Dana White is unlikely to accept Oscar De La Hoya's offer given their past feud
White has a tumultuous history with Oscar De La Hoya that goes back to the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing bout in 2017. At the time De La Hoya was vocally against the fight, calling it a 'circus' and 'joke' that would ruin the sport.
White fired back and accused De La Hoya of using cocaine.
WTF?!? Is this guy snorting coke and drinking booze again??!? #OscarDeLaArum https://t.co/awn2bgnWNV
De La Hoya raised White's ire even more when he booked the UFC president's close friend Chuck Liddell for a fourth fight against Tito Ortiz that saw the 48-year old 'Iceman' knocked out in the second round. Since then any mention of De La Hoya sends White into expletive-fueled rants.
Watch Dana White rip into Oscar De La Hoya below: