Oscar De La Hoya wishes to recreate 5 vs. 5 fight card against rival promotion company Top Rank
Oscar De La Hoya has expressed his intent to recreate the 5 vs. 5 fight card and settle his beef with Top Rank.
Follow Us
Turki Alalshikh and Oscar De La Hoya (image credit- DAZN, Yahoo Sports)
Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, has indeed transformed the sport of boxing. He has successfully done this by organizing several of the most significant matches in recent years. Furthermore, they recently also did the first-ever 5 vs. 5 boxing match between Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn. Despite Hearn’s crushing defeat, promoter Oscar De La Hoya experienced a moment of inspiration.
The concept was quite revolutionary, and it aimed at celebrating Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing working together. It also aimed at settling their 35-year rivalry, which only ended because of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in boxing. The fight card was massively stacked, with each boxer being handpicked by the promoters to represent their team of five. As such, De La Hoya was awe-struck by the concept of the event and its massive success and took to social media to deliver a proposal.
Great concept by @Turki_alalshikh. @GoldenBoyBoxing vs. @TopRank in Las Vegas.Oscar De La Hoya via X
Top Rank and GoldenBoy Boxing have also been rivals as promotional companies across the years, especially in the US market. Hence, Oscar De La Hoya also wants to settle their beef through a lucrative event, which would determine which promotion company is better.
De La Hoya has even spoken about recreating the 5 vs. 5 concept and making it USA vs. Mexico-themed. Hence, the promoter seems to have several ideas to make a similar event happen if Saudi Arabia is interested in it.
Oscar De La Hoya is constantly changing his stance on Saudi Arabia
Ever since Saudi Arabia took control, De La Hoya has been skeptical about whether boxers should compete in a country rich in oil instead of the US. In a conversation with Marcos Villegas, he even talked about his intentions to develop a UFC-like structure for his athletes rather than going to Saudi Arabia.
In addition, when Saudi Arabia announced their first-ever event in Las Vegas, De La Hoya threw shade at Alalshikh. The former champion remarked that nobody was coming into his territory and taking over his sport and declared ‘war’. However, De La Hoya once even asked for a collaboration with Alalshikh.
Furthermore, he highlighted his achievements as a promoter and his passion for the sport as a boxer. Hence, De La Hoya’s intent on collaborating with Alalshikh still remains complicated. At the same time, the Saudis have not yet given a reply to his proposal.
In case you missed it!
Stay Updated!
Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)