Oscar De La Hoya says he advised former fighter Canelo Alvarez not to face Floyd Mayweather in 2013 and admits the Mexican no longer likes him.
The Golden Boy boss explained the current situation with Canelo when remembering the time the multi-weight champion suffered his first loss. Mayweather dominated Canelo on his way to a hotly debated majority decision.
Judge CJ Ross, who saw it draw, retired after taking considerable heat for her score. Colleagues Dave Moretti and Craig Metcalfe had it 116–112 and 117–111, respectively. World Boxing News carded every single round for Mayweather on the night. Out of 86 media scores, including WBN’s, the average score for Mayweather vs. Canelo was 119-109.
De La Hoya, representing Canelo at the time, told Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay his advice to the rising superstar back then.
I told Canelo, “Do not fight Floyd because you’re too young. You have no experience.” He’s 21 years old, and he’s flexing his muscles like, “I can take on Floyd; I’m the very best.”
“Guess what you got schooled. It wasn’t even close!”
Asked about Canelo potentially fighting YouTuber Jake Paul, legend De La Hoya added that his old protege has no love left for his old boss.
“I can make it happen, but Canelo hates the s*** out of me. It would be a lot of money, but it’s not a legacy,” De La Hoya told Sharpe. “I don’t think Canelo has anything to prove.
“I think Canelo is obviously now fighting for the money, which I don’t blame him for as long as he fights. But for instance, not take Benavidez, which the world is urging him to; it’s bad for his reputation and for his legacy for not taking that prime fighter in his career.”
Benavidez has since moved on from Canelo and has his eye on the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol on October 12. However, it may not be straightforward for the ‘Mexican Monster’ as Canelo also wants a rematch with Bivol if the second man defeating him can do something similar to Beterbiev.
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.
