By: Sean Crose
I have had the pleasure of speaking with Canelo Alvarez many times. He always struck me as polite and decent. So the undisputed super middleweight champion’s move at Thursday’s press conference to promote Saturday’s fight with Jaime Munguia was a surprise. While it’s true that 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 caused Canelo to leave his seat and move directly towards him, an action that caused others to get between the two men.
“I would be remiss if I did not respond to the man I once promoted,” said De La Hoya, who now endorses Munguia. “To be clear, I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez as a fighter… but he has spent most of the last two months insulting me instead of cheering for this fight .” But that’s not all. “Yes,” De La Hoya continued, “I have faced many challenges in life. Yes, I went to rehab a few times. Yes, there were some really bad points in my life and yes, there were times when work was not my top priority based on my mental health, which I 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,” he said. “The company you fight under always has a name and it’s mine, so please respect it.” When it was Canelo’s turn to speak, De La Hoya interjected. “You know who your father is,” he told Canelo. After that, Canelo decided to speak his mind in English. “He’s an asshole, that’s what I said,” he declared, referring to De La Hoya. “He stole from his warriors. That’s what he does. Damn bitch. Damn it.”
Then. Again this really has been a long time coming. However, it is not common for Canelo, who has presented himself as an excellent professional for many years, to become visibly frustrated in public. Suffice it to say, Munguia, the man Canelo will actually fight in Las Vegas this weekend has kept the matter private, as is his nature. Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Canelo” was the top US trend on X (formerly Twitter) late Thursday. For those who believe that any attention is good attention – the press conference was an unexpected success.
