Oscar De La Hoya is sure he’d have no problem defeating former fighter Canelo Alvarez if the pair met at 154 pounds in their prime.
De La Hoya, continuing the ongoing beef between the pair, said at the recent press conference that Canelo would be an easy fight for his peak self.
“Easy, hands down, easy. Nobody can stop this jab,” he told waiting reporters at the Canelo vs Jaime Munguia gathering. “In my prime, my footwork was impeccable.
“When you have heavy legs and heavy feet, and you’re walking on quicksand. A fighter like me, I would have probably had Floyd [Mayweather] Sr. training me. It probably would be a walk in the park.”
At the same media event, De La Hoya said he would greet Canelo despite stating that the Mexican side of the negotiations attempted to keep him out of the limelight.
“I don’t know about working it all out, but will I go up to him and shake his hand? Yeah, I can do that. I have no ego. I am telling you, it’s all good for the sake of the sport. But some people take it one step further and take it personally.
“I am just here to promote the biggest fights, and that’s what we are doing. We are positioning ourselves for 2024 and beyond to give the fight fans the best fights.”
Before Munguia even gets in the ring with Canelo, by De La Hoya’s logic, the undefeated super middleweight is already the top star in the sport after defeating John Ryder.
“On January 27, the next Mexican superstar of the sport will officially be crowned. His name is Jamie Munguía,” said De La Hoya before the Ryder fight. “Whether it’s a person or at home on DAZN, fans shouldn’t miss watching Munguía do what Canelo couldn’t and knock John Ryder out.”
Munguia did exactly that and now gets the opportunity to inflict a third career defeat on Canelo. Only Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol have been able to have their hands raised in victory against the undisputed champion since he was fifteen.
By the time they get in the ring, the De La Hoya vs Canelo beef will hopefully be a thing of the past. Too many times, the sport takes a backseat to promoter wrangles and former fighter gripes.
However, if Munguia beats Canelo in a significant underdog triumph, nobody will ever hear the end of it if Oscar De La Hoya has anything to do with it.
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