Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya has indicated that his relationship with Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has improved since 2019.
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.
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.
De La Hoya explains that there isn't any lingering tension in the air.
"Look, it's like a family. Families fight and have their differences but at the end of the day, it's family," De La Hoya told CBS Sports' "State of Combat" podcast.
"Me and Canelo are on great terms, everything is good. I'm a fighter and promoter that looks out for the best interests of our stable and Canelo is the biggest draw and star in boxing. We are good; we are great, actually. He knows that we have done a great job for him and we know that he draws and brings in the crowds. It's a business and we both are smart enough to realize that."