By Victor Salazar
New York - Fight week is upon us in Las Vegas. It's Canelo Avarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 2. Before fight week began, promoter Oscar De La Hoya made the rounds to talk about the business of boxing with select media in New York.
Even though the discussion was around sponsors and different partners he has worked with for the event, there is no doubt De La Hoya is excited about the pay-per-view that takes place this Saturday.
“It’s the biggest stage that you can fight on,” De La Hoya says about being on pay-per-view. “Aside from the pressure, the fact that you’re basically carrying the sport on your back. You can fight on HBO, Showtime, or ESPN but there’s something on pay-per-view that makes you want to deliver”
While Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KO’s) is undoubtedly the biggest star in the sport in his prime years, De La Hoya knows that he has to build for the future.
“We actually are seeing some sort of a shift in the way the consumer is watching and supporting boxing,” stated De La Hoya. “It’s not just the Hispanic and the Mexican fighter or the Irish fighter. The consumer wants to see great fights that’s all they want to see. There’s no nationality in great fights. We’re signing new fighters and fresh talent that aren’t of the Mexican descent. We’re signing fighters from the Midwest and the East Coasts.”
While a lot of the landscape has changed with the additions of streaming services like DAZN, ESPN+, and other ways to watch boxing, De La Hoya still sees pay-per-view as the most lucrative way for superstars to make money. As long as promoters are making the best fight, he feels the fans will keep coming.
“We can put on more pay-per-views as long as we’re delivering the best fights, only way to sustain the best trends,” said De La Hoya.
“I remember fighting 5 times on pay-per-view and the reason we did is because I fought the best. Canelo is on that same train. [Canelo is] actually possibly fighting in December once again in Las Vegas or here at the Garden. As long as we deliver the best product to the fans, they’ll keep coming.”