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LOS ANGELES – In telling Canelo Alvarez not to don the WBC belt and by aligning with Dana White as the man to take his Riyadh Season boxing to the next level, Turki Alalshikh last week made power moves toward a one-belt, one-promoter boxing landscape.
That’s not going to happen without some interference.
At Monday’s news conference in Los Angeles to hype Alalshikh’s May 2 three-fight card in New York’s Times Square, promoter and five-division boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya brought along three of his fighters and a healthy bit of defiance toward anyone who thinks he’s taking a step back.
“I did hear that [Turki] passed over the reins of boxing to Dana White. That comment to me … I felt a little offended. I’ve been in boxing all my life. I’ve been promoting for 20-some-odd years,” De La Hoya said.
De La Hoya made it clear that if White, the UFC CEO who’s now heading the boxing vertical TKO for the Endeavor Group, would rather not work with him, or if Alalshikh has other future plans that don’t include working with other promoters, he will be comfortable doing his own thing.
“So what I want to do is stay in my lane and do what I do for Golden Boy and DAZN, and give the fight fans the best fights that can possibly be made – just like we’ve been doing for years,” De La Hoya said.
“Working with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season and sprinkling these big, championship events, it’s an honor for me to do that. But I have my business that I’m going to take care of, as well.
“And nobody’s going to touch me there, because we are the best developers in the fight game and we take our fighters to championship levels and super-stardom, like we have with Canelo and Ryan Garcia.”
Garcia, a year removed from his infamous three-knockdown performance over Devin Haney in a bout later ruled a no-contest because of Garcia’s positive performance-enhancing drug tests, will return atop the Times Square card against former WBA 140lbs champion Rolando Romero.
De La Hoya also sends his former 140lbs champion Jose Ramirez against Haney on the card, and Arnold Barboza against WBO 140lbs champion Teofimo Lopez.
“All three fights have the potential to steal the show, but it’s up to the fighter. You have to fight hard, you have to fight with passion. And you have to make a statement,” De La Hoya said. “Anybody could win at any given time.”
The expectation is both Haney and Garcia will win, sending them to glamour October rematch in Saudi Arabia.
How long De La Hoya’s time with Alalshikh will remain after that is anyone’s guess.
White has spoken of forming a league of younger fighters and constructing bouts in a new broadcast deal that would help raise those fighters’ profiles and help TKO surpass the others as the most formidable promoter with the backing of the Middle East conglomerate.
“I’m gonna stick in my lane and I’m going to work with Turki Alalshikh because it has been very positive,” De La Hoya said.
“Competition in boxing is really good, but I’m going to continue to do what I do. Because boxing is what I love. Boxing is what made me, what helped me get here, and I’m never leaving.”
As for Alalshikh’s interest in downsizing the belts of the four major sanctioning bodies and playing up The Ring belt following his purchase of the magazine and website from De La Hoya late last year, many in the sport are watching, knowing that the federal Muhamnmad Ali Act forbids promoters from awarding belts.
Even though Alalshikh instructed Alvarez not to wear the WBC belt during a photo shoot at his news conference last week in New York, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman issued a statement that he’s generally appeased.
It’s worth noting Alalshikh’s backing of a grand prix event that Sulaiman is planning.
“Turki has his plans, that’s it. If Turki goes without the WBC, then that’s his event. He’s paying Canelo. He paid for Ring Magazine. He can do whatever he wants to do because it’s their event,” De La Hoya said.
“I’m sure Sulaiman didn’t take it well. I’m sure Sulaiman is thinking, ‘Wow, WBC, my father, been around forever, the fighters love the WBC … .’ Sulaiman has to be a little hurt, but I’m not sure what the relationship is or how they’re going to work it out.
“But fighters love fighting for belts. The little fighter from Rialto, California, coming up fighting for the continental, regional championship, to the fighter, that means everything. That’s the way I grew up. You grow up wanting to be a world champion – WBC, WBA, IBF. It’ll be interesting.
WBO President Gustavo Olivieri told BoxingScene recently that he’s watching to see how this plays out.
“It’s not the first time a promoter or promotional outlet or network has tried to eradicate the tiles,” Olivieri said. “Certainlly TKO/Saudis have the money, resources, network to become a player. However, we [the governing bodies] have the relationships and support from other promotional outlets.
“Also, there’s a history that simply can’t be replaced and the fighter’s heroes [Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, Duan, Leonard, Hearns, etc.] all fought for the titles.”
