Oscar De La Hoya continued to bamboozle boxing fans and media this week by declaring war on an event featuring his fighter.
The Golden Boy made a similar threat before Saudi Arabian Chairman Turki Alalshikh announced his intention to take ‘Riyadh Season’ to De La Hoya’s territory of Los Angeles alongside Eddie Hearn.
He said: “Nobody, I mean nobody, is coming to my country and or city thinking they can take over boxing. I am a fighter first. I will fight hard for what I love the most, and that’s boxing.”
Days later, Alalshikh stood alongside Hearn – who was at the forefront of the promotion, to confirm one of the best cards seen in the United States in decades.
Part of the confirmation stated that De La Hoya’s undefeated star, Vergil Ortiz, will hold a spot on the card, subject to a win on Saturday.
“Former Super-Welterweight World champion Tim Tszyu awaits Vergil Ortiz Jr, subject to the outcome of his fight against Thomas Dulorme this weekend,” said the official release.
So that’s where this all gets a little confusing. Golden Boy is on the bottom of the poster; their fighter is ready to be added to the bill, and a De La Hoya quote acts as though he loves life working with Eddie and Turki.
De La Hoya’s quote reads: “We are thrilled to be participating in what will be a stacked Los Angeles card in support of Riyadh season. His Excellency’s desire to work with all promoters to put on the best fights perfectly aligns with what Golden Boy has been delivering for years.
“I believe this will be the beginning of a wonderful partnership going forward. If Vergil emerges victorious this Saturday, he is going to be ready to roll and steal the show against Tim Tszyu in a can’t-miss fight-of-the-year contender.”
Within a few hours of the press conference ending and buzz on social media going into the stratosphere, De La Hoya took to his Twitter account to reveal what he really thought of the new dawn.
“No promoter is coming into my territory and thinking they can take over ‘my’ sport! This is war! This is aimed at a person who doesn’t know s*** about boxing!”
Targeted at Hearn rather than Alalshikh, De La Hoya’s reaction caused mass confusion. Some fans warned the former ten-time world champion ‘not to mess this up’ and not to remove Ortiz from the bill.
Topping the bill is pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford. ‘Bud’ challenges Israil Madrimov for the WBA and WBO interim super-welterweight titles on the August 3rd extravaganza at BMO Stadium.
According to the document obtained by World Boxing News, many entities promote the stacked card. It’s a Riyadh Season Card, put together alongside Sela, League 1, and Matchroom Boxing, but in association with World Of Boxing, TGB Promotions, Golden Boy, Goldstar, Queensberry, Salita Promotions, and Warriors Boxing Promotions.
Furthermore, De La Hoya did not attend the kick-off event, with the story uncovering more at media events for Ortiz vs Dulorme.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
