Canelo Alvarez fired back at promoter Oscar De La Hoya in response to him calling his kick-off press conference “boring” for the Mexican superstar’s title defense against Golden Boy fighter Jaime Munguia on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) critically assessed the 51-year-old promoter De La Hoya’s mindset, making it clear that he views him as a troll who is undermining his own fighter, Munguia’s promotion, with his careless, non-thinking trash talk.
Canelo Throws a Haymaker at De La Hoya
“If he doesn’t have the courage to say it there at the presser – where his own fighter, Munguia, is present – that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. That’s the whole essence of Oscar,” Canelo said to the LATimesEspanol.
Here’s why Canelo’s comment lands hard:
- Cowardice Called Out: Canelo’s comment suggests that De La Hoya can’t directly confront a person, meaning he lacks the courage and maturity that he should have at his advanced age of 51.
- Sabotaging His Own Fighter: Alvarez says Oscar is criticizing his own fighter, Munguia’s event, which is a foolish thing to do. He should be building it up instead of tearing it down and indirectly implying that it was boring along with Canelo.
- De La Hoya Gets Reduced: Canelo labels De La Hoya a provocateur, a person who says “stupid things to provoke others. People who provoke often are jealous, insecure, and unhappy.
De La Hoya – A Master of Distraction?
Canelo describes De La Hoy as an emotionally insecure person, saying, “Oscar relies on saying stupid things just to get noticed. But behind the scenes, he’s all bluster. That’s all he’s got.”
Alvarez then goes for the finisher, suggesting that De La Hoya doesn’t do anything as the head of his company, Golden Boy,”But in his company, he does nothing more than say stupid things; that’s all he knows how to do.”
Somehow, you just know that this isn’t the end. Canelo’s analysis of De La Hoya is likely to light a fire in him, fueling his competitive instincts and leading to a war. Why not? If Munguia is just going to say nice things about Canelo, it’s up to De La Hoya to do the heavy lifting in this promotion if it’s going to do well.