De La Hoya Slams Al Haymon, Crawford Hits Out At De La Hoya

In the latest boxing news, Oscar De La Hoya has hit out at  PBC’s Al Haymon over not maintaining good relations with FOX and NBC following Showtime’s exit from boxing. 

The comments were in relation to the news that Showtime would no longer be broadcasting boxing in 2024. And as part of that process, PBC’s prior deals with FOX and NBC came under the spotlight.

De La Hoya took aim at Haymon’s single-mindedness which could complicate things if PBC does end up aligning themselves with DAZN.

Reports indicate that PBC are in talks with DAZN, as well as Amazon Prime as the search for a new network continues. While DAZN does offer the chance to work with Matchroom, and Golden Boy, De La Hoya questioned the viability of it due to Haymon. 

De La Hoya On Haymon

“Imagine PBC and Eddie Hearn and Golden Boy under the same roof. Obviously, it would make it that much easier to make fights happen, but my only concern is that if you take a look at what Al Haymon has done in the sport. He ruined the relationship with NBC. He ruined the relationship with FOX, and he spent Showtime’s money. So, every network he goes to, he just ruins it because it has to be his way or no way,” De La Hoya

Nevertheless, PBC have shown that they have a mega stable to work with. So far, as of this year, PBC have managed to stage three big fights that have grossed over $20 million.

The bouts with Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo had shown that. While that may offer an attractive opportunity for DAZN, the jury was still out for De La Hoya

“So I don’t know how DAZN will even entertain anything like that. I’m open to it and willing to work with anybody, but I just want to make sure people understand what has been going on with networks and why it’s been happening. Somebody just told me, ‘Well, yeah, because everything that Al Haymon touches turns to bronze, not to gold.‘ So it’s a concern, but if DAZN or whoever wants to facilitate and have everyone under one roof, yeah, it’ll be better for the sport so we can make those fights happen,” De La Hoya

De La Hoya And Crawford

At the same time, the Golden Boy promoter has also come under fire over the future of boxing moving forward. Terence Crawford and De La Hoya fired shots at each other on social media following disagreements over the future of boxing. 

The war of words began after the two responded to the news that Showtime would leave boxing by 2023. In response, Ryan Garcia was very vocal about the need for major changes to be made in the sport.

And as part of that process, there was a call for innovation in order to keep the sport competitive. After all, MMA has posed a threat to the sport, particularly with the rise of the UFC. In response, the two disagreed over the power that boxers should have in the sport.

“Salute Showtime for their near-40-year commitment to the sport I love. I am hopeful that we promoters can use this unfortunate situation to put our differences aside and start working together more often to help make more of the bigger fights and grow our sport,” De La Hoya

“If boxers aren’t at the table, it isn’t going to work,” Terence Crawford 

“Respectfully, I disagree. Fighters should hire smart, competent representation that will look out for the best interest of their client, and fighters should worry about the small window of opportunity that they have to fight as many times as they can in their careers,” De La Hoya

“I say we need boxers at the table, and Oscar De La Hoya says, ‘Sit down and shut up.’ Do you really think we’re better off if you’re running things? You don’t get it. We need to do things differently, like other sports. We have the power, and y’all can’t keep us from using it,” Crawford stated