‘We Were Cool’: Oscar De La Hoya Breaks His Silence on The Dana White Beef

Boxer turned Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya was long at loggerheads with UFC’s head honcho, Dana White. While the flame of animosity between the duo seems to have fizzled out, it certainly looks like they’re far from being on talking terms again. As both promoters continued to focus on their respective sports, De La Hoya broke his silence on what went wrong between White and himself.

De La Hoya recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe for the latest episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast. In conversation, Sharpe asked him about his relationship with White and the circumstances that paved the way for their longstanding hostility.

“We were cool. When I first thought of getting into the MMA scene, I strongly feel that he just wanted to bury me. Not have competition. He started talking sh*t about me. What does he talk about me? The coke and the panty-hoes? So what? 15 years ago? Like, so what? That I don’t have friends and like. It’s absurd because literally, I don’t even think about it,” he said. De La Hoya further continued that both White and himself are focusing on their own sports. Notably, both De La Hoya and White had both previously attempted to try their hand at MMA and boxing promotions, albeit unsuccessfully.

“Just because I wanted to start a little competition, he gets all, ‘Let me scream louder.’ I mean, when a guy slaps his wife in public when his mom writes a book about him, saying that he’s a douche. His own mom!!! That’s all I have to say. I don’t have to say anything more,” De La Hoya added. “I don’t know why it started. I mean the promotional thing, but we were actually pretty cool.”

“I Was Drugged Up”

De La Hoya’s conversation with Sharpe also saw him shed light on a few other unsettling aspects of his life. This included his infamous picture of wearing fishnet pantyhose. When asked about the same, De La Hoya mentioned that his drug and alcohol addiction was to blame.

“I was drugged up. I didn’t even know it. I was getting with bad people, this and that. Two women come in my room with a suitcase. That’s all I remember. And after that, I wake up the next day,” he said. “They set me up. They set me up, but it’s OK, it happened. So what?”

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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