Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is now officially set to lock horns with two-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford on September 12th. And now, Canelo’s former promoter/arch nemesis, Oscar De La Hoya, has exposed Canelo’s true colours after his awful performance against former IBF title holder William Scull on Saturday in Riyadh. Canelo and Scull presented a lackluster and drawn-out fight, which saw Scull mostly running away from the action while Canelo failed to cut off the ring to catch the younger boxer. Eventually, the fight ended with a unanimous decision win for Canelo, but it drew criticism from the world for being one of the most boring fights.

So, De La Hoya, who never shies away from criticizing people, especially Canelo, quickly took this opportunity to bash the Mexican star for the lack of action. “ You’re getting paid all this money to fight against a runner who we all knew was gonna run—A Cuban style. You chose him, and now you say you hate fighting runners,” Oscar said.

Interestingly, Canelo Alvarez was compelled to fight Scull after being stripped of the IBF title for refusing the bout. Scull, who had since claimed the vacant strap, became a necessary opponent if Canelo wanted to regain undisputed status. The matchup also served as the first step toward a potential super-fight with Terence Crawford, with all four belts eventually on the line. 

Despite this, Oscar De La Hoya urged Canelo not to “fight runners,” pushing instead for a different opponent. “ We all know who we wanna see you win against,” Oscar said. “That’s Benavidez. Go up against Benavidez, fight Benavidez. He won’t run. What’s wrong with that? It’s a good fight, but it’s sad. You know, it starts from the top too.”

David Benavidez vied to fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds before moving to 175 pounds due to a lack of action from the sanctioning bodies to enforce a fight against Canelo. Nevertheless, following Saturday’s bout, it was officially confirmed that Dana White, backed by TKO Boxing and Turki Alalshikh, will launch a new boxing league, set to make its promotional debut soon. 

Their first major event will be the highly anticipated Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight in September, which Alalshikh had hinted at before when the boxing league was first introduced to the public. While Oscar continues to attack Canelo Alvarez, Scull seems to have made a startling statement.

William Scull claims he defeated Canelo Alvarez

William Scull remains adamant he defeated Canelo Alvarez despite losing a unanimous decision on May 3 in Saudi Arabia. The Cuban boxer, who saw his undefeated record snapped, believes his higher work rate should have secured him the win. “Yes, I totally felt like I had won. After the fifth round, I was already winning the fight,” Scull told Fight Hub TV. “If he’s not hitting me, why would I risk it?”

Though Canelo won with scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109, the fight was uneventful, with just 445 combined punches thrown—a new CompuBox record for fewest punches in a 12-round bout. Scull pointed to this stat to argue his case. “Canelo deserves my respect, but he threw less than me and was less effective than me,” he said. “The Cuban principle is like that: hit and don’t let them hit you.”

That said, Oscar De La Hoya isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to criticizing his longtime rival, Canelo Alvarez—especially as Canelo prepares to face Terence Crawford in a bout promoted by yet another of Oscar’s adversaries. What are your thoughts on Oscar’s claims?