Oscar De La Hoya is planning to stage a Golden Boy vs Top Rank 5 vs 5 Tournament in Las Vegas against his arch-rivals.
The boxing legend wants to go up against Bob Arum after witnessing UK promoters do similar in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. However, instead of doing something a little different, such as a 6 vs 6 or changing the format slightly, De La Hoya wants to construct the same format, pitting his fighters against Top Rank.
De La Hoya put the concept to a fan vote on Monday evening, with a positive response. “The Golden Boy” first put the idea out there on June 2, when stating, “Golden Boy vs Top Rank in Vegas is huge! Bob Arum, let’s talk,” before sending out an early poster to give fans hope it could happen.
Golden Boy vs Top Rank is initially earmarked for September 14, the exact date Canelo Alvarez usually takes for his Mexican celebration. It will be interesting to see if De La Hoya can secure that spot with Canelo heading towards a purse bid for a mandatory fight with IBF number one William Scull. As World Boxing News reported first, Canelo had not relinquished the IBF title by last week. The pound-for-pound star has been closing in on bids that could see him take a Scull fight to Mexico.
That scenario would leave De La Hoya and Arum free to stage the event, possibly with a Mexican vs United States flavor, on the date Canelo vacates for the Scull fight.
Turki Alalshikh has made no secret about the fight; he wants Canelo vs Terence Crawford by December or January. Therefore, Canelo can squeeze in his mandatory before the ‘Bud’ headliner, as Crawford is fighting on August 3.
Mexican fans who descend on Nevada for the Mexican Independence Day celebrations will still be able to see a big night of boxing without Canelo involved.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
