Whether or not Oscar De La Hoya’s building up for a U.S. version of the “5 vs. 5” tournament that Eddie Hearn has lined up for June 1 in Saudi Arabia with rival British promoter Frank Warren, the gloves are off because of Hearn taking the lead role in the stacked Aug. 3 card in Los Angeles.
“No promoter is coming into my territory and think they can take over ‘my’ sport!!” De La Hoya posted on X Thursday. “This is war!!! This is aimed toward a person who doesn’t know sh*t about boxing!!!”
De La Hoya would later urge, “Eddie, for the sake of British boxing, just stay in the U.K. and promote. Leave real promoters in the U.S. market, where boxing really matters. You had your chance, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars building nothing in America.”
Hearn has been tabbed by boxing’s new power broker, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, to direct the loaded card coming to 22,000-seat BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Headlined by the WBA junior middleweight title bout between three-division champion Terence Crawford and 154-pound champion Israil Madrimov, the card also features De La Hoya fighter Vergil Ortiz Jr. against former junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu; 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in his first title defense, versus Jose “El Rayo” Valenzuela; former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. versus Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller; along with the light heavyweight debut of unbeaten David Morrell; and a lightweight fight featuring Cuba’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz.
Hearn has gone as far as saying it’s the best card ever staged in America, and he mocked De La Hoya’s position.
“Oscar De La Hoya, for real, are you OK?” Hearn responded on social media. “You’re stalking me like a crazed fan. You got a great win [Ryan Garcia over Devin Haney] on Saturday, but I consume your mind 24/7.
“Unfortunately for you, I'm a global promoter with 18 world champions (you have 4). I have big plans to work with everyone to grow the sport globally and have fantastic talent in the U.S. market. I really wish you all the best and hope you can enjoy what you do.”
The feuding occurs even as both De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing have streaming deals with DAZN.
On Friday’s episode of ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters,” analyst Chris Algieri said the toxic vibe is rooted in something more than De La Hoya’s loss of the sport’s most popular fighter, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, to Hearn during the pandemic.
“Initially, you’re going to think, ‘Canelo [and] De La Hoya had a big falling out,” Algieri said. “He was the biggest cash cow in the sport – the golden boy being with the ‘Golden Boy’ made a lot of sense. Canelo obviously left and now he’s over there with Eddie. And that could be a part of it.”
Yet for his May 4 undisputed super middleweight title defense against De La Hoya-promoted Jaime Munguia, Alvarez is actually being promoted under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions banner.
That’s why Algieri believes the heart of this beef is De La Hoya viewing it as a turf war.
“Oscar De La Hoya is a fighter. You coming to his ‘hood and you’re promoting shows with the biggest guy around, Turki Alalshikh, who’s come to Eddie Hearn to do the fights … in L.A. Listen, the way De La Hoya looks at it is a turf battle:
“‘You’re coming into my country, my city and you’re going behind my back?’”
De La Hoya has sought to make it clear he has no hard feelings with Turki Alalshikh, but he has spared little vitriol toward Hearn.
“I get it,” Algieri said. “[De La Hoya] is a fighter, a Mexican-American. He’s got that machismo. Coming from East L.A., territory’s a big deal, and he feels Eddie’s coming in and stepping on his toes, so Oscar’s doing what Oscar does.”