Oscar De La Hoya: Canelo Alvarez Split ‘Hurt My Feelings’

Oscar De La Hoya admits the Canelo Alvarez split was a tough pill to swallow.

Back in 2018, Canelo signed an 11-fight, $365 million deal with DAZN. At the time, Canelo was fighting under Golden Boy Promotions. Things got ugly during the COVID-19 pandemic. DAZN attempted to get Canelo to take a pay cut but boxing’s biggest star wasn’t having it. After a brief legal battle, Canelo was granted his release from the contract.

During an interview with BoxingScene.com, De La Hoya said the split wasn’t easy to handle.

“You never want to part ways this way. It literally hurt my feelings. I remember Bob Arum once telling me when I was younger, ‘Don’t ever, ever make it personal with any fighter. Don’t ever make it personal.’ He obviously knows by experience. So I finally know what he’s talking about.”

Despite the business deal gone wrong, De La Hoya will still watch Canelo’s fights as a fan of boxing.

“I love boxing, I’m a fighter first. Canelo is the biggest name in the sport right now, so absolutely, I will watch. He’s fun to watch.

“(There are) some big fights ahead of him, some dangerous fights ahead of him where he’s gonna face a Callum Smith. But you have to recognize that he’s not a young 30, all the wear and tear, all the operations he’s had on his body. So, that obviously takes it toll. But regardless, it’s great to have a Canelo fighting. He’s a high-profile name and it’s great for the sport.”