Oscar De La Hoya has openly chosen a side in the ongoing rivalry between boxing promoters Eddie Hearn and Dana White. Speaking on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” Monday, De La Hoya declared, “I’m Team Eddie right now, because he’s outmaneuvering Dana.”
The persistent public feud between Hearn and White, especially over White’s role in the December 11 showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, has captured significant attention in the boxing community. De La Hoya indicated he plans to eventually challenge White and TKO’s Zuffa Boxing with what he calls the “clap-back of the century,” but for now, he’s content observing Hearn leading the charge.
He described the back-and-forth between the two promoters as highly entertaining. “It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” De La Hoya remarked. “Eddie’s just funny and harmless, which is why we get along well now despite past differences. He knows his role as a promoter and how to support his fighters. Meanwhile, I’m just sitting back, gathering information, and enjoying the show.”
However, De La Hoya’s views on White and Zuffa Boxing were far less favorable. White has frequently urged fans to evaluate Zuffa Boxing’s impact at the end of 2026 by looking at the overall results, but De La Hoya feels he’s already judged them harshly. “If I were a teacher, they’d be failing,” he said bluntly.
He criticized the company for merely renting fighters instead of nurturing and building champions. “You have to be emotionally invested in boxing,” De La Hoya explained. “It’s personal — you have to care about the fighters’ lives and well-being, not just focus on numbers and shareholders like Dana does.”
De La Hoya also slammed the way Zuffa handled the release of former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who was informed of his firing via email in April, after just one fight with the company. Many boxing fans were unhappy about the impersonal nature of Gvozdyk’s dismissal, especially since Dana White had vowed to encourage fighters to take more challenging matchups.
The tension escalated for De La Hoya when he was left out of September’s Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight promotion, an event co-produced by Zuffa Boxing and Golden Boy but heavily branded as a Zuffa product. Despite being Garcia’s promoter, De La Hoya was not given his contractual ringside seat and was effectively excluded from the event.
De La Hoya revealed, “I didn’t have my ringside tickets where I was supposed to sit. The event went well for Ryan with a great knockout, but keeping me out of it was a problem.” He plans to address this on an upcoming episode of his social media series “clap-back Thursday,” though he said White wasn’t behind this exclusion and hinted legal matters currently prevent him from sharing full details.
Despite the snub, the relationship between De La Hoya and Garcia remains strong. Garcia has one fight left on his Golden Boy contract, though sources suggest he also has one more fight under his DAZN deal. While De La Hoya hopes to continue working with Garcia, the fighter has previously indicated he may not renew his contract.
De La Hoya doubts Garcia will align with White or Zuffa Boxing, believing it wouldn’t be a good fit. Looking ahead, De La Hoya plans to meet Garcia soon to discuss his future fights, expressing interest in a matchup with top contenders Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez, which he believes would be perfect tests for Garcia’s elite level.
Overall, De La Hoya is clear on who he thinks Garcia should face next but less certain about whether he will continue as Garcia’s promoter beyond their current agreement.
Fan Take: This drama between De La Hoya, Hearn, and White reveals the deep tensions shaping boxing’s future and highlights the growing power struggle between promoters. For fight fans, these conflicts could redefine how stars like Ryan Garcia are managed and which matchups ultimately get made, impacting the sport’s landscape for years to come.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
