Two years ago, Oscar De La Hoya sold The Ring Magazine to Turki Alalshikh for a reported $10 million. Yet the nominal $3 million increase – from his purchase price, when he acquired it for $7 million in 2007 – appears to have left him with lingering regrets. That sentiment has only grown amid the mounting controversy surrounding now-former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, forcing him to rethink a decision he would rather undo.

On the surface, momentum is building for Oscar De La Hoya after the multi-year deal extension with DAZN. While the lawsuit involving Vergil Ortiz lingers, Ryan Garcia, De La Hoya’s biggest star fighter, has already bagged a welterweight title. Talks of a rematch with Devin Haney are already underway. Yet despite these positives, the former world champion-turned-promoter can only look on at boxing’s fast-changing landscape. In particular, Jai Opetaia’s situation, now stripped of his title by the IBF, has left him embittered. While he has blamed Dana White, Ring Magazine’s involvement has left him equally perplexed.

“More lies. More lies from Dana White, more lies from TKO,” De La Hoya told Ariel Helwani. “It’s all lies.”

His criticism followed how White and his team matched Opetaia against Brandon Glanton for his Zuffa Boxing debut. For a champion who wanted to unify the belts, the Australian instead faced a fighter ranked 15th by the IBF and 10th by the Ring, De La Hoya stressed. That prompted him to question the logic behind their ranking system.

“Who’s making up the rankings now? I really do think that the Ring rankings, you know, are out the window,” De La Hoya said. “I mean, I don’t think there’s any integrity there whatsoever. You know, the Ring belt, the Ring magazine, was everything for a hundred years, let’s say. And now it can just be in the trash can. I mean, might as well. It means nothing.”

The response prompted Helwani to ask if he regretted selling the publication to Turki Alalshikh.

Oscar De La Hoya’s reflections and the reality facing Jai Opetaia

“The way things are going, I actually do,” replied the Golden Boy Promotions head. “When I had the Ring magazine, I kept its integrity. I kept the panel of writers from all over the world who were deciding who’s number one and who’s number two, making sure its integrity was in place. And I could have sustained it forever if I wanted to, but Turki came along, and I thought I was selling it to a person who really cared for the sport and was going to uphold its integrity, but I guess I was wrong.”

Helwani later explained that De La Hoya’s recent comments about the Ali Act and the boxing media’s role, with some now working closely with The Ring Magazine, led him to wonder whether he wished he had not sold it. De La Hoya admitted that he does regret it now.

The Olympic gold medalist can be excused for his personal views.

However, the way Ring Magazine ranked Glanton in 10th place, as De La Hoya pointed out, raises some questions. His record, including the decision loss to former champion Chris Billam-Smith, is marked by setbacks. It is likely that his 86% strike rate may have pushed him upward in the rankings.

However, that does not take away from the fact that placing him opposite Opetaia, followed by the IBF deeming the bout unsanctioned before stripping him of their title, has now left the Australian in a complicated position. He holds the Ring Magazine’s cruiserweight title and the still-unrecognized Zuffa belt.

Now he faces the risk of being left with only the Zuffa title if he does not follow up by fighting a ranked Ring Magazine contender. According to the publication’s rules, a champion may be stripped of the belt if he “fails to fight a top-5 contender for 2 years.” Opetaia’s last bout against a Ring top-5 contender took place in 2024, when he fought Mairis Briedis in a rematch.

No one can say that, had De La Hoya not sold the Ring, things could have been better. Nor, for that matter, is Ring Magazine entirely at fault for Jai Opetaia’s situation. What stands out instead is that future champions who entertain and are ambitious about cementing their legacy should not suffer due to internal maneuvering.