Sooner or later, things were bound to get messy. A week ago, Oscar De La Hoya decided to voice his concerns about the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez mega fight in Las Vegas. According to him, the bout scheduled for September 13th, the same day as UFC Noche, was being aired in the morning hours so as to accommodate the airing of the UFC event. This, he believed, would severely diminish viewership and undermine the fan experience day. However, there is a small problem with that assertion. It’s simply not true.

The claim was, in all likelihood, aimed as a rebuke of Canelo Alvarez and Dana White, De La Hoya’s sworn enemies. But it failed to hit its mark. Instead, the one who took issue with that was His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. In case you missed it, last night’s official press conference for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford in Riyadh is where HE Turki Alalshikh chose to respond to the six-division world champion’s unfounded assertions.

When asked about the time and venue for the fight, the MC of the event noted the ongoing speculation. The Saudi Royal replied, “Who’s asking about the time and place?” seeking a specific name. When the MC revealed it was Oscar De La Hoya, HE Turki Alalshikh responded with a sarcastic jibe, “I decided with Dana White to have breakfast in MGM at 10 a.m., Inshallah. Then we will go to the arena to have the fights quickly, and we will go for dinner.” As if that wasn’t enough, Alalshikh added, “Oscar De La Hoya wastes my time with this question. Of course it’s big, this is boxing, the No. 1 sport in the world. Canelo and Crawford.”

So as expected, the remark found its aim, and Oscar De La Hoya decided to respond. However, he chose to have a friend with him as he did it. Sharing an image of him standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Teofimo Lopez, the caption of his Instagram post read, “We will always be 100% authentic and real. And we don’t need your approval @teofimolopez.” His comment was a pointed jab, highlighting that neither he nor Teofimo Lopez, both of whom have recently found themselves at odds with Alalshikh, plan to stay silent. But why did De La Hoya choose to bring in the WBO super lightweight champion?

The connection goes back to Teofimo Lopez’s fallout with HE Turki Alalshikh, which occurred a few weeks ago. The Takeover’s bout against Arnold Barboza Jr. on May 2, 2025, marked his first collaboration with HE Alalshikh. But something transpired behind the scenes that caused an abrupt break. It had something to do with him walking out of his planned bout with Devin Haney, which was being finalized for August in Riyadh. While the exact details remain unclear, Lopez, out of the blue, posted on X, “I just got fired, guys… However, before things get better, bad things must happen first!” But the feud escalated further when Teofimo Lopez tweeted again with a harsher comment, calling HE Alalshikh a “D–Ktator”. He then went on a rant alleging questionable moves on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s part.

In response to Lopez’s outburst, HE Alalshikh responded on X, “Maturity is to realize, most things don’t deserve a reaction.” And now both Teofimo Lopez and Oscar De La Hoya find themselves in the same corner as a result of their recent feud with the GEA chairman.

Oscar De La Hoya’s clapback claim for Canelo-Crawford

In his last “Thursday Clap Back” Instagram series, De La Hoya criticized the decision to schedule the fight for an early start time, raising concerns over how it could affect the bout’s overall impact and reception. “Listen to this, the fight will take place in broad daylight on September 13 in Las Vegas,” De La Hoya said. “Canelo is going to fight in the day on Netflix just to accommodate the UFC [Fight Night] card later that day on another channel. Does that mean this fight doesn’t matter? Do they not give a damn about the fans or the ratings? Why does Canelo have to fight in broad daylight on Mexican Independence Day weekend?”

He was referencing UFC Fight Night Noche, scheduled in San Antonio to honor Mexican Independence Day. De La Hoya pointed out the unusual timing and questioned the prioritization of the UFC event over the mega fight, suggesting it undermines boxing’s place on a significant weekend for the sport.

But as we now know, those claims are pretty much unfounded. However, it has now resulted in the formation of two distinct camps in boxing—one that is still in business with HE Turki Alalshikh and the other being Oscar De La Hoya and Teofimo Lopez. So what are your thoughts on De La Hoya’s comments?