Golden Boy Promotions founder and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya was reached out to comment on Turki Alalshikh’s controversial take on changing the rules on boxing to prevent more “Tom and Jerry fights” after Canelo Alvarez and William Scull made history for throwing the fewest punches in a 12-round fight. Given his own past having faced such fighters, De La Hoya provided a simple-cut solution to something perceived as a genuine problem in boxing.
A multi-division former world champion with numerous prevalent fighters on his record, Oscar De La Hoya might be one of the most controversial promoters in boxing right now but his fighting experience speaks for itself.
With Turki Alalshikh having clearly expressed a distaste in “running” following the May 3rd Alvarez vs. Scull recordbreaking debacle, the assumption of this being a widespread problem emerged; despite Alalshikh’s The Ring and Riyadh Season-sponsored shows having performed above standard for most high-quality boxing cards.
When confronted with this topic, De La Hoya’s past experience made for a quick and short answer to address the issue of “running” that has recently sparked discussions:
“I would put this on the fighters,” De La Hoya told reporter Dan Canobbio when asked on how to solve the running conundrum that boxing is apparently dealing with.
“Learn to cut off the ring.“
As past fighters have shown to have had no qualms in being able to adjust according to their opponents, Oscar De La Hoya’s answer is likely based on his own experience in facing a host of skilled fighters with varying styles, including those more defensively-minded such as Pernell Whittaker and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
With his accolades very much marking his exposure to an abundant amount of elite fighters, there is further a tangible basis on which De La Hoya has built his solution.
Conversely, Oscar De La Hoya has critiqued fighters that appear accused of running, having declared earlier this year through social that he would bar Devin Haney from facing any of his fighters following a lackluster performance during his May 2nd bout against Golden Boy fighter Jose Ramirez.
