"Where are the fighters who have b*lls?" - Oscar De La Hoya trashes Canelo Alvarez's win over Edgar Berlanga, says he aims to "cruise into retirement"
Oscar De La Hoya has taken aim at Canelo Alvarez's victory over Edgar Berlanga Jr., criticizing his choice of opponent and both fighters' performances. Additionally, he insinuated that most current boxers don't take risks, unlike their predecessors.
De La Hoya often posts videos giving his views on the fight business. In an Instagram video, he spoke about attending UFC 306 (Riyadh Season Noche UFC) at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Sept. 14, 2024.
While UFC 306 was underway, Canelo Alvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles via unanimous decision against Edgar Berlanga Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.
De La Hoya praised the UFC event and lambasted the Alvarez-Berlanga fight. He acknowledged that the fans were waiting for his 'clapback' at the fight, given his long-running rivalry with Alvarez.
The boxing legend indicated that as he'd predicted, Alvarez's fight couldn't sell out the T-Mobile Arena. He alleged that an entire section was curtained off as supposedly confirmed to him by acquaintances who attended the fight.
In addition, he asserted that he correctly predicted how the fight would play out -- underscoring that Canelo Alvarez easily won all rounds, the fight was unexciting, and Berlanga was later praised for simply going the distance with him.
De La Hoya stated:
"Fighters are getting praised for simply going the distance with a 35-year-old Canelo who hasn't knocked anybody out since 2021. Don't you all wanna see knockouts? I'm from a different time in this sport when fighters went to war in the ring. We wanted to destroy our opponents. I still took the [Manny] Pacquiao fight, knowing my body was broken and old, and I couldn't beat him. But I was a warrior. I wanted to be a legend."
De La Hoya referenced Alvarez's last loss, a unanimous decision defeat against WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. He also jibed at Alvarez for allegedly evading David Benavidez.
Accusing him of attempting to cruise into retirement like boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr., 'The Golden Boy' said:
"It's a different mentality, a champion's mentality. Canelo wants to get paid. He avoids [David] Benavidez and [Dmitry] Bivol who schooled him. Just like [Floyd] Mayweather, he wants to cruise easily into retirement. Where are the fighters who have b*lls? Don't we wanna see the best fight the best? Why are we as boxing fans accepting this low-level competition and entertainment?"
Watch De La Hoya's assessment below:
Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez share a long and storied history
Oscar de La Hoya signed Canelo Alvarez to Golden Boy Promotions back in 2010. De La Hoya's business acumen and Alvarez's pugilistic prowess gradually made the latter the sport's biggest draw. After their bitter split in 2020, matters went as far as the court of law.
The two legendary pugilists are still at loggerheads. De La Hoya retired from boxing after an eighth-round stoppage defeat against Manny Pacquiao in Dec. 2008.
Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez continues to reign as the top star in the sport. Fans have lately been lobbying for Alvarez to fight either American boxing great Terence Crawford or David Benavidez. Alvarez's next opponent hasn't been confirmed, but he's expressed interest in a potential boxing match against Conor McGregor in 2025.