Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya has expanded on some of his recent statements, with respect to his relationship with Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Last year, there was a lot of tension between the two sides - with the situation erupting last November when Canelo publicly criticized his longtime promoter.
“You can see there’s no loyalty in [De La Hoya],” Canelo said to The Athletic. “He changed trainers during his career. He changed managers in his career. So there’s no loyalty. That’s the way he is. We see it now.”
During the fight week for Canelo's fight with Sergey Kovalev, the Mexican boxer barely acknowledged De La Hoya or Golden Boy during media events. He even brought along his own translator for media functions.
According to De La Hoya, he considers Canelo to be a friend, but it's "all business" when it comes to their relationship.
“It’s all business,” De La Hoya said to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “In all these years I’ve been in boxing, inside the ring and outside the ring, I’ve learned it’s all business. In boxing, there is no loyalty. It’s sad, but that’s what I’ve lived. Canelo’s a great fighter and I consider him my friend. But it’s business, that’s it.
“You learn how to maneuver and you keep your guard up. That’s basically it. Me being a fighter, I know how to protect myself. I take that into my business life that I have now as a promoter and I use it to the best of my ability. Fighters are fighters and you have to protect yourself at all times, just like [Hall of Fame referee] Joe Cortez always said.”
Canelo and Golden Boy have yet to come together for another event - due to the ongoing cornavirus pandemic.
Canelo was scheduled to fight on May 2, as part of Cinco De Mayo weekend. His return was pushed back to a tentative date of September 12. And the tentative opponent at the moment is IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.