Things got very heated on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Canelo Álvarez and Oscar De La Hoya had to be separated at a press conference ahead of Álvarez’s title fight against Jaime Munguía this weekend. De La Hoya, while speaking to reporters on a podium, began taking very clear shots at Álvarez, who was fighting for his company Golden Boy Promotions. Álvarez clearly didn’t take it well.
Warning: Video contains NSFW language.
‼️ Canelo Alvarez stands up and goes after Oscar De La Hoya in response to his comments during the final press conference before his fight against Jaime Munguia on Saturday night…
(🎥 @PremierBoxing) pic.twitter.com/X3RuhsU4Ob
-Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 1, 2024
“I would be remiss if I didn’t respond to the man I was promoting,” De La Hoya said, in part. “He seems to have difficulty remembering who helped him become a true world star. To be clear, I have nothing but respect for Canelo Álvarez as a fighter. His track record and abilities speak for themselves, but he has spent much of the last two months insulting me, rather than promoting this fight… The company you fought for for decades has always had a name , and it’s mine. So give it some fucking respect.
After yelling at De La Hoya and insulting him in Spanish from his seat, Álvarez rushed out and confronted him. The two had to be separated, and De La Hoya then returned to his seat and sat down.
Warning: Video contains NSFW language.
We spoke to @Canelo after the press conference on @OscarDeLaHoya and he had stronger words for him: “If he came near, I would fuck him.” He’s a fucking asshole. He tried to steal money from his fighters. He tried to steal money from me… Fucking bastard, son of a bitch. pic.twitter.com/9K0DJ2NLb6
-Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 1, 2024
“He insulted me and I don’t want to allow that,” Álvarez said after the press conference ended. “I’m going to (hit him). If he comes any closer, I’ll fuck him… He’s going after a fucking asshole. He tried to steal money from the fighters… He tried to steal my money… He’s going after a motherfucker. He doesn’t care about his fighters because he tried to draw all the attention to himself.
Álvarez spent years battling with Golden Boy Promotions and De La Hoya. He was, however, released from his deal with them in 2020, after filing a lawsuit against De La Hoya for breach of contract. The split was clearly tumultuous and remains incredibly controversial, even years later.
Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, holds a record of 60-2-2 with 39 knockouts heading into Saturday’s fight against Munguía. His last victory came against Jermell Charlo in September. Munguía enters Saturday’s fight with a perfect record of 43-0 with 34 knockouts. He beat John Ryder via TKO earlier this year and he fights under Golden Boy with De La Hoya.
As the fight at T-Mobile Arena pits Álvarez against Munguía, it’s clear that Álvarez is taking De La Hoya’s involvement personally.
