By: Sean Crose
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to Canelo Alvarez on several occasions. He’s always struck me as polite and dignified. Therefore, the undisputed super middleweight champion’s actions at a Thursday press conference to promote Saturday’s fight with Jaime Munguia came as something of a surprise. While it’s true Canelo and his former promoter Oscar De La Hoya have been at odds for some time, Thursday’s press conference saw matters come to a head. Indeed, some of De La Hoya’s words led Canelo to get out of his seat and head straight towards him, an act that led to others getting between the two men.
“I would be remiss if I did not respond to the man I used to promote,” De La Hoya, who now promotes Munguia, had stated. “To be clear I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez as a fighter…but he has spent much of the last two months insulting me rather than promoting this fight.” But that wasn’t all. “Yes,” De La Hoya continued, “I have faced a lot of challenges in my life. Yes, I’ve been to rehab several times. Yes, there were some really low points in my life and yes, there were times that work was not my priority based on my mental health, which I had neglected for so long.”
De La Hoya then focused on his former fighter. “But that doesn’t change the fact that Golden Boy built Canelo Alvarez, period,” he said. “The company you fought under has always had one name, and it’s mine, so put some fucking respect on it.” When it was Canelo’s turn to talk, De La Hoya interjected. “You know who your daddy is,” he said to Canelo. Afterward, Canelo decided to speak his mind in English. “He’s a fucking asshole, that is what I said,” he claimed in reference to De La Hoya. “He steals from his fighters. That’s what he do. Fucking pussy. Mother fucker.”
Well, then. Again this has indeed been a long time coming. Still, seeing Canelo, who has generally carried himself as a consummate professional over the years, become visibly frustrated in public is not a common occurrence. Suffice to say, Munguia, the man Canelo will actually be fighting in Las Vegas this weekend kept matters low key, as is his nature. Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Canelo” was the top United States trend on X (formerly Twitter) later on Thursday. For those who believe any attention is good attention – the press conference was unqualified success.
