Oscar De La Hoya’s depth of boxing success accounted for titles in six divisions over two decades in the sport, but the library of his work as a promoter is also stark – and footage of those bouts now has a new home.
Golden Boy Promotions announced a multi-year agreement with Swerve TV, a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) provider that delivers content on outlets including Roku, Fubio TV, Prime Video, Google TV, DirecTV and more.
While Swerve TV will also offer some live coverage of undercard bouts on Golden Boy “tentpole events,” according to a company statement distributed Thursday, De La Hoya told BoxingScene he remains in negotiations with DAZN to be his promotion’s streaming home, and predicts this will be “the best year for Golden Boy.
“It’s a home for our library. … The deal is going to unlock the legendary fights Golden Boy has made over the last two decades,” De La Hoya said. “The partnership will be anchored by Golden Boy classic fights every Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern.”
De La Hoya referred to his valuable vault of bouts as “my little baby. … In today’s day and age, if you’re not monetizing those assets, you’re falling behind.”
In addition to several of his own bouts dating to the formation of Golden Boy in 2002, De La Hoya promoted several major Floyd Mayweather Jnr bouts, many Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fights and owns some of the Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales trilogy, in addition to Juan Manuel Marquez, Bernard Hopkins, Deontay Wilder and current-day instant classics including Ryan Garcia’s.
“It’s a pretty extensive library that people will be able to enjoy,” De La Hoya said.
In its joint statement, Golden Boy and Swerve TV said, “In addition to library content, Swerve TV and Golden Boy Promotions will collaborate on a range of new programming initiatives, including live preliminary bouts for select tentpole events, original studio shows, athlete-focused programming, behind-the-scenes documentaries and other formats. Together, the companies aim to blend premium fight coverage and historic bouts with compelling cultural narratives that spotlight the athletes, the communities and the stories shaping the sport today.”
Reflecting on what he has presided over along with company executive Eric Gomez and staff, De La Hoya said he’s proud of the “amazing” compilation of boxing action he has presented.
“The fact I started boxing at 6 years old and I’m still relevant in the business is a testament to the sacrifice, the hard work – myself and the team at Golden Boy,” De La Hoya said. “We’ve been able to be at the forefront of making big fights and entertaining the world.”
Beyond some of the most lucrative pay-per-views in history, including his own fight versus Mayweather in 2007, and Alvarez’s 2013 loss to Mayweather, De La Hoya said the Barrera-Morales scraps and the Marquez versus Juan Diaz bout in Houston were just “beautiful fights.”
He said his own bouts remain riveting, “even my losses.
“This is what I want to teach these young fighters today … when you fight the very best, when you give it your all and when you put on great shows, you don’t lose. You don’t lose your credibility. You don’t lose your status. On the contrary, you’re known for fighting the very best, for not ducking anybody, for being a warrior. Win or lose.”
De La Hoya said his epic brawl with rival Fernando Vargas was a personal favorite.
“I remember being sore for two weeks after the fight,” he said. “And the weigh-in was pretty cool.
“Another favorite was the first time I lost to [Shane] Mosley [in 2000 at Staples Center, a bout that drew Muhammad Ali.] That was a fun fight, and I knew what I was getting myself into.”
De La Hoya said he feels invigorated to distribute the content to fight fans – old and new alike.
“It’ll entertain new fans. It’ll allow fans to watch their heroes. It’ll take you down memory lane, which is pretty cool,” he said.
Meanwhile, De La Hoya remains in negotiations to extend Golden Boy’s union with DAZN, which dates back to 2018.
“Negotiations with DAZN have been ongoing,” De La Hoya said. “We’ve been with DAZN for many years now, and we will be extremely proud and happy to renew with them. … An announcement will come soon.”
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
