Things got very heated on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Canelo Álvarez and Oscar De La Hoya had to be separated at a news conference ahead of Álvarez’s title fight against Jaime Munguía this weekend. De La Hoya, when addressing reporters at a podium, started taking very clear shots at Álvarez, who used to fight under his Golden Boy Promotions company. Álvarez clearly didn’t take that well.
Warning: The video contains language that is NSFW.
‼️ Canelo Alvarez GETS UP AND GOES AFTER Oscar De La Hoya in response to his comments at the final press conference ahead of his fight vs Jaime Munguia on Saturday night…
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 1, 2024
“I would be remiss if I didn’t respond to the man I used to promote,” De La Hoya said, in part. “He seems to have trouble remembering who helped him become a true global star. To be clear, I have nothing but respect for Canelo Álvarez as a fighter. His 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 under for decades has always had one name, and it’s mine. So put some f***ing respect on it.”
After shouting at De La Hoya and insulting him in Spanish from his seat, Álvarez stormed up and confronted him. The two had to be separated, and De La Hoya then walked back to his seat and sat down.
Warning: The video contains language that is NSFW.
We talked to @Canelo after the press conference about @OscarDeLaHoya and he had stronger words for him: “If he came closer, I’d fuck him. He’s a fucking asshole. He tried to steal money from his fighters. He tried to steal money from me… Fucking motherfucker, son of a bitch.” pic.twitter.com/9K0DJ2NLb6
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 1, 2024
“He insulted me, and I don’t want to permit that,” Álvarez said after the press conference ended. “I will [punch him]. If he comes closer, I’d f*** him … He’s a f***ing a****le. He tried to steal money from the fighters … He tried to steal my money from me … He’s a f***ing a****le. He don’t care about his fighters because he tried to bring all the attention to him.”
Álvarez spent years fighting with Golden Boy Promotions and De La Hoya. He was released from his deal with them in 2020, however, after he filed a lawsuit against De La Hoya alleging a breach of contract. The split, clearly, has been tumultuous and is incredibly contentious even years later.
Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, holds a 60-2-2 record with 39 KOs headed into Saturday’s fight against Munguía. His last win came against Jermell Charlo in September. Munguía enters Saturday’s fight with a perfect 43-0 record with 34 KOs. He beat John Ryder via a TKO earlier this year, and he fights under Golden Boy with De La Hoya.
While the bout at T-Mobile Arena is between Álvarez and Munguía, it’s clear that Álvarez is taking De La Hoya’s involvement personally.