Oscar De La Hoya Willing To Pay $5 Million To A “Championship Fighter” But Only On One Condition

Oscar De La Hoya wants to rebuild the lost glories of the boxing realm. There was a time when fighters would be on the desperate lookout for as many fights as they could bag in a year. Their reasons? The more fights they fought, the more money they earned, and the easier they reach the titles. And that De La Hoya thinks was the golden era of boxing.

In his bid to invoke the greatness of the realm yet again, he looked back at fighters in the 90s who did not hesitate to take multiple fights a year. For instance, De La Hoya himself. He fought 5 times in the year 1997 and won all of them. Lennox Lewis for that matter, fought thrice in the same year. Bernard Hopkins won all the 6 fights he undertook in 1992. Decades later, when such gumptions remain scarce, ‘Golden Boy’ has offered to bring it back. The incentive for this resurrection? $5 million!

Oscar De La Hoya calls on championship fighters to rebuild legacies of boxing

Recently, the ace promoter took to his X profile to express his disappointment over the current affairs of the boxing world. In comparison to the time of his prime in the ring, the 90s, Golden Boy said, “They will never ever make 90s fighters the same.” But he believes that fighters of today still hold it in their helm to match up to the glories of his times. He further invited a championship fighter to undertake 5 fights in a year and in return, he would pay them $5 million.

It is interesting to notice that he specifies the word ‘championship’ in his call to action.  The mention draws the striking difference between the boxing scene of today and the 90s. The industry sees a vivid bifurcation now. There are professional fighters, who train for almost all their lives to sustain themselves in the ring. These are fighters that De La Hoya has addressed as ‘championship fighters’. The goal of their career is to bag as many titles in as many weight classes as possible. However, there is a whole new wave of fighters today. Popularly addressed as ‘crossover boxers’- the likes of Jake Paul, KSI, and so on. They fight primarily for the sake of the massive funds these fights bring them, and to entertain their clout.

While De La Hoya has called on professional fighters to rekindle the lost norms of boxing, it is also important to note that today most fighters limit themselves to two fights at a maximum for a year for the same reasons as why fighters of his age undertook multiple fights. The likes of Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, Shakur Stevenson, and so on know their worth and would fight once or twice a year. Such engagements would be the most lucrative deals they would receive. Further, they also heavily invest in their training camps to prepare extensively for the fights they undertake. By this, they ensure that whenever they fight, they inch as close as they can to the titles.

In yet another bid to push today’s boxing to the best of its potential, Golden Boy has incited another high-profile bout.

Golden Boy envisions Shakur Stevenson vs. Ryan Garcia

The promoter called on Shakur Stevenson to fight against his fighter Ryan Garcia in a recent X post. He asked his followers their predicted number for PPV sales if the fight took place. However, he placed his bets on his fighter, KingRy to push the maximum sales. He wrote, “@RyanGarciavs Shakur how many PPV and trust me it’ll all be Ryan who is selling the majority.”

His comments come in light of ‘Sugar’s’ win over Edwin De Los Santos via a unanimous decision. On the 16th of November, Stevenson entered the coveted T-Mobile Arena to secure the vacant WBC lightweight belt. It was earlier held by Devin Haney, who decided to miss his mandatory defense against Sugar. He will be fighting Regis Prograis on the 9th of December for the WBC super lightweight class.

Also Read: “A Great Start…”: Oscar De La Hoya Expresses Delight on Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren Working Together Ahead of Huge Saudi Arabia Card

Oscar De La Hoya leads the way today in making the most important fights of the realm happen. He is one of those promoters who has always held the necessity for leveled fights important. With his recent comments on the current state of the sport, a sense of introspection dawns. Are fighters doing the right thing by taking minimal fights a year? Is this where the realm is headed? These questions will find their answers with time to come.

Meanwhile, who do you think would win between Shakur Stevenson and Ryan Garcia? Drop your picks in the comments section below.

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