Oscar De La Hoya ‘Offended’ As Dana White Joins Hands With Turki Alalshikh

Dana White’s recent comments have left Oscar De La Hoya offended.

A few weeks ago, the UFC boss joined hands with the Riyadh Season mastermind, Turki Alalshikh, to announce the creation of a new boxing league. The duo partnered with TKO Holdings to bring this league to life. However, his stance on promoters and regulators has certainly gotten the boxing community talking, and De La Hoya isn’t backing down.

In a conversation with FightHype, De La Hoya was asked about his thoughts on White’s comment about not working with established promoters.

“I felt a little OFFENDED!”- Oscar De La Hoya

Oscar De La Hoya reacts to Dana White’s and Turki Alalshikh new boxing league!

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“I did hear that he passed over the reigns of boxing to Dana White. Well, that comment to me, I felt a little offended because I’ve been in boxing all my life, and I’ve been promoting for 20 years,” he said.

White has been rather clear about his vision for the new boxing league. He will be focusing on replicating the UFC model, where the fighters are a quintessential part of the league itself rather than being associated with a promoter.

This would, in turn, make a significant difference in the fighters’ pay. However, with most major names in the sport being tied to promoters, it sure seems like White isn’t completely shunning out the possibility of working with promoters, instead focusing on “how it’s going to play out.”

On the other hand, De La Hoya wishes to continue doing what he does best.

“So, what I’m gonna do is stay in my lane and do what I do best for Golden Boy and with DAZN. And give the fight fans the best fights that can possibly be made just the way we’ve been doing for years. Working with Turki Alalshikh, Riyadh Season, and sprinkling these big championship events. Yeah, it’s an honour for me to do that. But I have a business that I have to take care of as well,” he said. “And nobody’s gonna touch me there.”

“Amazing Idea”

Meanwhile, there has been substantial support for the boxing league from boxers. In fact, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk was recently seen extending his support to the league.

“Amazing, amazing idea. I think His Excellency is doing a lot for the sport. It is wonderful that new initiatives are created and I support it,” he said while talking to Al Arabiya.

“Many people think things may not work, but it is important to do new things. Always. I am not against it, but I haven’t been invited to participate in this league but if such a proposal comes through, my team and I will seriously consider it.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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