Oscar De La Hoya lambasts 'game-changing' boxing weekend as big names fail to deliver

Hall-of-famer Oscar De La Hoya has questioned the motives of some of the biggest names in boxing after failing to deliver the goods on what was billed as a 'game-changing' weekend for the sport.

Some of the sport's most recognisable names were in action across three bumper nights of world class boxing, as New York City, Riyadh and Las Vegas all staged colossal cards.

Ring Magazine laid on a star-studded Times Square bill on Friday evening; an event that featured the likes of Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, whilst the spotlight shone brightly on Saudi Arabia 24 hours later as pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez fought for the first time under the Riyadh Season umbrella.

Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue rounded the weekend off in another major boxing bill in Sin City on Sunday night, marking his first fight on US soil in four years, but whilst he produced a barnstorming finish to see off the dangerous Ramon Cardenas, the shows in New York and the Middle East left a lot to be desired.

Posting on his Instagram channel on Monday, De La Hoya, who represented three fighters on Friday evening's card in the Big Apple, laid into the likes of Devin Haney and Canelo for letting down Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.

"Of the 11 fights I have seen (prior to Inoue v Cardenas), there have been no knockouts!" the Golden Boy promoter quipped. "Teofimo (Lopez) was the only one who came out (in New York) and tried to entertain the fans.

I feel bad for Turki (Alalshikh), I really do. He is paying all this money to the fighters to turn out, show up and fight, and give the fans what they deserve - great fights - but they aren't delivering!

- Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promoter)

"Show up and fight, and not just dance around like Bill Haney and Devin Haney - my gosh, he (Devin Haney) was tagged a couple of times by (Jose) Ramirez and he just jumped on his bicycle and started running for his life - Jesus!

"And then Canelo... come on! He was getting paid all of this money to fight against a runner - somebody we all knew was going to run. He chose to fight him and now he is saying he hates fighting runners... well then, don't fight runners.

"We all know who we want to see him fight against - David Benavidez. he won't run, so go and fight him. It's a good fight."

De La Hoya enjoyed a glittering professional career, capturing 11 world titles across a remarkable six weight classes, cementing his status as one of the finest operators of his generation.

The Mexican-American has since transitioned into one of the leading promoters in the sport, overseeing 50 fighters for American giant Golden Boy, and feels a significant mentality change from those who step through the ropes is needed.

"When you are fighting for the money and not legacy, then up and coming young fighters are just going to follow that pattern, and it's just really sad," he added.

"It's not fair to the organisers, it's not fair to the people putting up the money and it's not fair to the promoters - even more importantly, it's not fair for the fans.

"Turki is bringing out his wallet and paying everybody more money than they could have dreamed about, so the least we should be giving him is good fights."

Mark Mothershaw

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