Current unified super middleweight boxing champion Canelo Alvarez recently discussed the end of his relationship with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, who guided the boxer's career for over a decade.
"Look, I don't like to talk much about people, but I've been a very loyal person, always," Canelo told Graham Bensinger. "And I was a very loyal, always with Golden Boy. [De La Hoya] is not Golden Boy. He doesn't do anything in Golden Boy. He's worried about drinking, and being involved in other things."
The boxing superstar continued by claiming De La Hoya makes no decisions for Golden Boy before explaining his loyalty to his former promoter after its CEO Richard Schaefer departed and took other major boxers with him. Canelo said he now understands why other boxers left the promotion because the same loyalty has not been shown to him.
The boxer went on to detail various contractual disputes before an issue with him, Golden Boy, and DAZN became the final straw. Canelo said the entire relationship fell apart after he discovered that Golden Boy had made certain promises to DAZN, which conflicted with his own contract with the platform.
"Yes. It was something completely different," he continued. "In my contract, I said, the fights are for such amount, but if I fight against Golovkin, or Mayweather, or a name like that, that'll have to be negotiated. Because I'm not going to fight for the same amount. We negotiate it. But no. Golden Boy had already promised [those fights] and had already signed with DAZN that I was going to for sure fight with Golovkin for the same amount. And they never told me that."
Since last year's split from Golden Boy, Canelo has been signing short-term deals with Matchroom Boxing and operating as a free agent. Canelo Alvarez's next fight is a unification bout against WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on May 8.
