De La Hoya ‘Definitely Going To Sue For Defamation’ After Canelo Spat

Oscar De La Hoya isn’t lightly taking Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s allegations.

Bad blood boiled over at yesterday’s Canelo vs. Jaime Munguia pre-fight press conference (Weds., May 1, 2024). However, the most captivating verbal exchanges didn’t come between the men competing.

Boxing legend-turned-promoter, De La Hoya, took to the podium where he addressed Canelo and demanded respect after their past differences. This led to a less-than-content Canelo firing off some slurs in Spanish before getting up to get in De La Hoya’s face. Canelo alleged that De La Hoya has stolen money from fighters in the past, including his past rival, Gennadiy Golovkin. Canelo can now look forward to a legal battle following his Munguia clash, according to “The Golden Boy.”

“I’m definitely going to sue for defamation,” De La Hoya told ESPN. “Imagine the damage it can do to my reputation. Imagine what it can do to my business to fighters [who] are going to believe that. It’s terrible. We paid [Golvkin] everything he’s owed.”

De La Hoya is no stranger to getting on someone’s bad side, as he’s infamously feuded with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Chief Executive Operator (CEO), Dana White, over the years. In this case, he’s had much closer interactions with someone like Canelo, as his fighter, Muguia, prepares to score a huge upset this weekend (Sat., May 4, 2024).

“I’m going to defend myself when somebody’s speaking negative about me and that’s what I did,” De La Hoya said of his exchange with Alvarez. “This was my perfect moment to let him know how I feel. It felt so good. Finally — I was just holding my tongue for all these years — and finally I can f—king tell him in his face, put some f—king respect on my name.”