De La Hoya Calls Tanks Davis And Teofimo Lopez ‘Soft,’ Backs Benavidez To KO Canelo
In some top boxing news, Oscar De La Hoya has hit out at Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez’s perceived lack of ambition in the sport of boxing.
The comments may raise a few eyebrows given the accomplishments that both boxers have managed to achieve. Davis has won world titles in three different weight classes to become a cash cow in the sport.
That has included putting on the highest-grossing event of 2023 against Ryan Garcia as the fight sold over a reported 1.2 million PPVs. And in doing so, the live gate exceeded $20 million.
As for Lopez, the boxer has become a two-weight and two-time lineal champion at 135 and 140 pounds. The Takeover’s last fight was a win over Josh Taylor to secure the WBO junior welterweight belt.
But in response to a fan who stated that Davis and Lopez were using talks over a retirement as a smokescreen, De La Hoya said the following.
De La Hoya Speaks Out
“Fighters today are soft and think they are worth so much. I’ve always preached that when you fight for legacy, the money will follow. I’m organizing a moderated round table with some boxing promoters. I’m on a mission to bring you the best fights possible. I’ll keep you posted on where you can watch it and when.
“Attention PBC fighters without a promoter contract, call my headquarters. Let’s make some good fights happen. Every single fighter at PBC has no promotional contract. It’s too complicated to explain because you all know s*** about boxing,” De La Hoya
De La Hoya Picks Benavidez Over Canelo
Meanwhile, De La Hoya predicted that David Benavidez would stop Canelo Alvarez if they did end up facing each other at super middleweight.
The pair have long been linked with a fight ever since Benavidez became the WBC mandatory at 168. The Mexican Monster is currently preparing to face Demetrius Andrade on November 25th, 2023.
And provided that Benavidez overcomes his opponent, the calls for a fight with Canelo will increase. And yet, the time to secure a bout is diminishing.
Benavidez has previously stated that he will move up to 175 pounds at some point in the future. But if a fight was made, De La Hoya felt that Benavidez would have too much for his opponent.
The Golden Boy promoter highlighted Benavidez’s size and output as simply being too much for Canelo to deal with.
“I think he [David Benavidez] knocks him out, I really do. Benavidez is a monster. Benavidez throws an average of above 55 punches per round. Canelo-Charlo, in the first round, they threw one punch combined. So, I’m just talking to you as a boxing expert. I’m not talking to you, ‘Oh, I hate Canelo. I hate Benavidez. Those are the facts; those are the reality on paper. What happens in the ring, I don’t know. Just by studying and being a historian in boxing, the writing is on the wall. If Benavidez is going to throw 50+ punches per round, guess who’s going to win,” De La Hoya
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