Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya’s relationship has at all times been rocky, and things could potentially worsen for them each.
Since constructing the UFC into the most important combat sports promotion on the planet, Dana White has picked his next enterprise as he looks to save lots of boxing.
A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that White has partnered with Turki Alalshikh to launch a brand new boxing league called ‘TKO Boxing’, they usually plan to run it similarly to how the UFC is run.
The UFC boss has been teasing launching a boxing promotion for several years, having originally created Zuffa boxing, with that having now been disbanded.
Oscar De La Hoya flames Dana White’s move to boxing
Although there’s a portion of the boxing world that is worked up about White’s arrival in the game, he has been flamed by former pro, Pauli Malinaggi.
Not only that but White has been warned by fellow promoter, Eddie Hearn, that the boxing world might be relentless and he might want to sleep with ‘one eye open’.
Despite Dana and Hearn having an honest relationship, one boxing promoter who isn’t White’s biggest fan is Oscar De La Hoya.
De La Hoya and White have never seen eye to eye and have at all times made it clear how they feel about one another and the Golden Boy Boxing promoter has given his opinion on White’s move to boxing.
“Dana White doesn’t know boxing, we’ve had interesting people come into the game, trying to advertise, manage, this and that through the years and take a look at to do it the improper way and alter the game of boxing,” De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV.
“Obviously all of us want the game of boxing to grow and to recover, to ensure the fighters are at all times paid well and that’s an important thing about boxing is that the fighters are getting paid.
“Unlike the UFC where it’s gonna be interesting how the UFC fighters are gonna react when fighters are getting a lot money in boxing, then Dana doesn’t pay the UFC fighters… All of us can change boxing,” he continued.
Dana White wants to construct bridges in boxing
Over time, White has been heavily critical regarding the game of boxing, criticizing promoters and fighters for the best way the game has modified.
Ahead of his move into that world, he realizes he might want to construct some bridges that he has previously burned.
“I’ve talked plenty of s— about boxing for the last 25 years, so I got some s— to do, I’ve got to get to work and determine not only the infrastructure, I’m gonna work out who we’re gonna hire and begin constructing a team like we do within the UFC,” White said on the UFC 313 post-fight press conference.
“There are guys that I like and guys that I don’t like, I might imagine that I’ll proceed to love the blokes that I like and proceed to dislike the blokes that I don’t like, so I’m sure none of that’s gonna change, it’ll probably worsen if anything,” White continued.
