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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
LAS VEGAS — Oscar De La Hoya issued a cease-and-desist letter Thursday to Canelo Alvarez over what he said were “defamatory allegations” that the Golden Boy Promotions founder stole money from former champion Gennadiy Golovkin, along with other boxers.
The legal letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, demands that Alvarez withdraw the retraction and refrain from making further defamatory comments.
The action comes a day after tensions erupted between Alvarez and his longtime promoter at a news conference ahead of Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship defense against Jaime Munguia on Thursday. Seven.
De La Hoya angered Alvarez by mentioning his positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol before his 2018 rematch with Golovkin. Alvarez countered by warning fighters to “contact your lawyer because he is definitely stealing from you. That’s the only thing he does in boxing. … If I don’t drag pull your lawyer and you will steal from me.”
In a letter to Alvarez, De La Hoya’s attorney, Ricardo P. Cestero, wrote that Canelo “falsely accused Oscar of a crime with the specific intent of warning other fighters not to do business with Oscar or Golden Boy.”
“Clearly, Canelo has defamed Oscar and Golden Boy internationally,” Cestero continued. “Canelo’s statement was also made with actual malice. … Oscar and Golden Boy have every right to sue Canelo for damages resulting from these defamatory allegations, including punitive damages designed to ensure Canelo learns his lesson.”
Alvarez’s attorney Gregory M. Smith told ESPN that Canelo, in making his comments, “said what he said.”
“After terminating his relationship with Golden Boy, Alvarez audited Golden Boy’s payments and deductions under his previous contracts,” Smith said. “The audit found that Alvarez was owed money.
“Court records show that GGG also audited Golden Boy and discovered that he was also underpaid. GGG then sued Golden Boy for the missing money.”
Golovkin sued De La Hoya in 2022 to collect up to $3 million he believed he was owed from that rematch. De La Hoya told ESPN on Wednesday that “we paid him everything he owed.”
Alvarez, ESPN’s 4 pound-for-pound boxer, has fought eight times since his ugly split with De La Hoya in 2020, ending a 10-year partnership. The end came when Alvarez filed a lawsuit against De La Hoya alleging breach of contract. Wednesday was the first time they shared the stage during a fight week since November 2019.
“His best fight was for Munguia and he tried to get all the attention from him,” Alvarez, 33, told ESPN. “It’s so sad for him. … I can’t wait to come in on Saturday night and win in style.
” … I don’t feel sad about it coming from him. I don’t feel anything. … I expected it. He’s an asshole. … I pushed my lawyer I got in a situation and he tried to steal my money and… he tried to steal Golovkin’s money.”
De La Hoya told ESPN later that day that he “will definitely sue [Alvarez] for defamation.”
“I defend myself when someone speaks negatively about me and that’s what I did,” he said. “This is my perfect moment to let him know how I feel. It feels so good. Finally — I’ve been silent all these years — and I can finally say it to his face , put some respect on my name.”
