In light of Canelo Alvarez’s loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013, legendary promoter and boxer Oscar De La Hoya has pounced on the Mexican superstar once more. Canelo was “schooled” by Mayweather in their light-middleweight match when Canelo was just 21 years old, according to De La Hoya, who recently spoke up in an interview. The remarks are made in the midst of parallels between Canelo, who is now 34 years old, and Ryan Garcia, a rising star who was also pushed by De La Hoya.

In what was arguably the most daunting fight of Canelo’s brief career, Mayweather and he squared off at the MGM Grand in 2013. Mayweather, who was 36 years old and the WBA champion at the time, overwhelmed Canelo despite the youth of the opponent and his apparent physical advantages. Many onlookers thought the disparity was much wider, even though Mayweather was declared the winner by majority decision (116-112, 117-111) on the judges’ scorecards.

When asked about Canelo’s decision to fight Mayweather so soon after warning him not to, De La Hoya said, “He [Canelo] is bigger than Mayweather, but he was only 21 years old, flexing his muscles like, ‘I can take on Floyd.'” (19 August 2017). By far, I am the best. Hey, guess what? You were humiliated. There was no comparison.

After Canelo departed from De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions in 2020, their feud began and has only gotten worse. These words are the most recent chapter in their continuing conflict. Canelo leveled accusations of betrayal and incompetence against De La Hoya, who retaliated by slamming Canelo’s dedication and claiming that he was ungrateful. Their once-close friendship came to an end as a result of the repercussions, and the animosity between them has remained unchanged for the past four years.

Even when discussing Canelo’s views on Ryan Garcia, another of his former fighters, De La Hoya continued to criticize him. The promoter made comparisons between Canelo and Garcia’s bouts, mentioning how Garcia’s battle with Gervonta “Tank” Davis in April 2023 was similarly doomed. Davis knocked out 24-year-old Garcia in the seventh round, despite the fact that Garcia was considered one of the sport’s brightest prospects.

 

Garcia, like Canelo versus Mayweather, may not have been adequately prepared for such a formidable opponent, according to De La Hoya, who felt sympathy after reflecting on Garcia’s performance. The fact that Ryan was “sucked up” made De La Hoya feel terrible. The man was lifeless. I was reminded of my fight with Pacquiao when I saw him. Because Tank is a monster, he has no chance of winning. Absolutely not.

 

 

His remarks reveal a feeling of déjà vu as De La Hoya witnessed yet another youthful fighter collapse under the weight of competing against an elite, more seasoned adversary. De La Hoya now considers Garcia’s demise with a mixture of sorrow and comprehension, just as he had forewarned Canelo ten years before.