Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather
Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather have never been enormous fans of one another. Going back to the time even before the superfight the two men engaged in over fifteen years ago, there was tension, if not outright hostility, between the two. Mayweather, who ended up winning the close 2007 battle, was young and brash at the time, while De La Hoya was still arguably the biggest star in the sport. Now, emotions are flaring up once more, at least on the part of De La Hoya. For De La Hoya feels that Mayweather is now getting between he and his protégée, Ryan Garcia.
Amidst the recent strain in De La Hoya's relationship with Garcia, his top fighter, it came as a surprise to see Garcia going for a late-night run with Mayweather. This unexpected turn of events has led Garcia to change his plans for his next fight. Instead of facing the highly regarded Devin Haney, Garcia has now set his sights on the talented yet somewhat limited Roland Romero. As Garcia's promoter, De La Hoya is clearly unimpressed and has taken his frustration public.
De La Hoya took to Instagram on Wednesday to express his displeasure, stating, "Before running with Floyd = Ryan wants Haney. After running with Floyd = Ryan wants Rolly." But he didn't stop there. De La Hoya further emphasized his point, saying, "Golden Boy has been working with Ryan Garcia since his professional debut, and together we have turned him into the biggest attraction in boxing. We will make his fight with Rolly a massive event, just like we always do." However, De La Hoya saved the most noteworthy part of his post for the end, directing a strong message to Mayweather, "Floyd, if you want to share the secret to defense in the ring with Ryan, that's great. Other than that, if you are still functioning as a promoter as your title suggests, kindly f— off."
Both De La Hoya and Mayweather have established themselves as not only legendary fighters but also successful promoters. This means that they are still in competition with each other to some extent. Garcia, a popular and powerful fighter from California, has the ability to attract casual fans and is currently one of the most famous fighters in the world. Although he may not possess the same level of talent that De La Hoya and Mayweather once had, Garcia is still a highly valuable asset to any promotional company he fights under.
