Oscar De La Hoya 1-on-1 with Kevin Iole - Golfing with Trump, when boxing will return and Canelo-GGG 3
Golden Boy Promotions Founder and CEO Oscar De La Hoya chats with Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole about his career in boxing and what's next for his fighters once it's safe for boxing to return.
Video Transcript
[CHEERING AND BAT CRACKING A HIT]
KEVIN IOLE: Hey, folks. I am Kevin Iole. I hope you are having a great day. I know I'm going to have a great day tomorrow because I'm going to be on the golf course. But today, my privilege to talk to my longtime friend-- the guy I've covered a ton of his fights. And then since he's been a promoter I've covered probably even more of his fights. The Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. How are you, Oscar?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Thank you, Kevin. Good, good. Good to see you.
KEVIN IOLE: You were one of the few people I know that actually play golf with the president of the United States. Good experience?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, let's put it this way. It was a-- it was a funny experience. I've never seen somebody cheat so much at golf.
[LAUGHTER]
I mean, literally putting golf balls in their pants and falling off their-- their shoe. I mean, I've never seen that in my life.
KEVIN IOLE: So you play with me. So who cheated more. Him or me?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Kevin, you're-- you're a straight up guy. I mean, you don't cheat. Come On.
[LAUGHTER]
KEVIN IOLE: Let's get to the fights, Oscar, just kidding around about golf. UFC is coming back a week from Saturday. They're going to have three shows in eight days. Do you anticipate Golden Boy talking to the zone and getting back in a similar time frame? What can we see you guys back going?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean-- I mean, talking about golf, you know, I was kind of like-- I mean, I was actually very happy about the PGA of America announcing that they're I believe it's Colonial where they're going to come back and play without, I mean, obviously without the gallery.
But that was-- that was a-- that was a big announcement for us, because now, it allows us to announce, as a promoter in boxing, to announce a fight without being criticized, without being ridiculed, because we're just following the PGA of America, which is a huge entity in the sports world.
My plan is to come back big with Ryan Garcia July 4, which is a huge holiday for America. So my idea was to give America the fans, the world a treat, OK, with Ryan Garcia in a great fight with Jorge Linares. So--
KEVIN IOLE: Linares is still going to be the opponent. OK, good.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It would be a amazing fight. So hopefully-- and it all depends with our mayor, with our-- with our governor, because obviously, as you know, safety's first.
KEVIN IOLE: And then, I mean, that's the question that I have to ask. And you in a great position as a promoter and a former fighter to answer this. I got to imagine it's going to be tough to fight in empty buildings, because you especially were an emotional fighter. And you seem to feed off the crowd when the crowd would start going.
How do you think it's going to be when these guys are going at it, and there's, you know, they can hear the other corner. They can maybe hear the TV announcer. But they don't have that crowd kind of spurring them on?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Right, right. Yeah, you hit it right on the nail's head, Kevin. I fed off the emotions of the crowd. And it revved me up. It gave me extra energy. The way I see it, I think it's-- I mean, I'm not going to compare it to a sparring session. But when Ryan Garcia gets in the ring, he gives his all.
Whether it's sparring, whether it's fighting, I don't think I see a difference with having been a factor having people or know people in the arena. I think professionals, like Ryan and Canelo, like Jaime Mungia, like, Vergil Ortiz, the fighters we have on our stable, are not going to be affected.
So it all depends on the individual. It all depends on the fighters. It all depends what their state of mind is going up to the ring. But I can tell you one thing. When you step inside that ring and the bell rings, it's tunnel vision. It's focus. And you're there to win a fight. You're there to knock your opponent out. So hopefully it won't affect him.
KEVIN IOLE: You know, I mean, I don't know if you would agree with the statement talking about you as a fighter. Like, I've covered most of your pro fights. And even though you were the biggest star in boxing for a period of time, I think as a fighter to a degree, you're underrated, because you had Sugar Ray Leonard and Chavez before you. And you kind of had Mayweather sort of at the same time and then kind of after you.
And as great a fighter as you were, you know, you were no more as a draw. But I don't know that people really knew how good inside the ring that you were and that-- do you feel like you're kind of-- you get the respect from, you know, how good of an actual boxer you were?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean, look, I was one of the hardest workers, if not, the hardest worker in what I did. I loved training. I loved waking up at 4:00 in the morning to run. I loved what I did. I started boxing at four years old. I won the gold medal. I won world titles.
But no, you're right, Kevin. I mean, I don't know if it's because of how my looks, because women followed me, because women filled the arenas more than men did. And it was always something on my back that I had to carry. And it weighed heavy, believe me.
KEVIN IOLE: Poor guy.
[LAUGHTER]
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Yeah, I'm not complaining. But yeah, you're right. You're right. You know, if people were to watch my fights now today and analyze and break it down, I was an OK fighter. I wasn't too shabby.
KEVIN IOLE: Actually two weeks ago, ESPN had on two of your fights. They had you against Chavez, your first fight and your fight with Trinidad. And, of course, you and I have talked about the Trinidad fight many times. But I want to ask you about that Chavez fight, because there was so much pressure on you. You know, you were kind of the Mexican-American star coming up. But everybody was measured against the great Julio Cesar Chavez.
And you had to beat him. But it was almost like a guy you idolized. When you look back on that, how big was that moment for you being able to, not only win over him, but you stopped him? And it was a great performance on your part.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Oh, my gosh. I mean, Kevin, I had uncles who were against me when I actually fought him.
KEVIN IOLE: Really?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean, they were telling me, like, how can you beat our hero, our-- I mean, he's a king in Mexico. So you can imagine the pressure that I was feeling, you know. And put that aside, think about-- what people don't know, actually, that I'm telling you now as an exclusive right now-- the government in Mexico threatened me that if I were to wear a Mexican patch on my shorts-- OK, because you know I always wore the Mexican flag on the American flag-- if I wore the Mexican patch on my shirts, they told me I would never be allowed into Mexico again.
KEVIN IOLE: Wow.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Yes, I have-- I actually have the letter stamped by the president--
KEVIN IOLE: Holy, smoke.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: --from Mexico. And, I mean, put that aside. But the cartel, because of Chavez being such a huge draw in Mexico, the team, the cartel came to my training camp in Big Bear and threatened me that if I win, I mean, who knows what's going to happen. So imagine the pressure. I mean, it was just-- it was crazy.
KEVIN IOLE: What was it like in the locker room that night, because once that you get to locker room, it's just another fight. You're-- and you're getting ready for the fight. But you also know all this external stuff is going on. And on top of that, you're fighting, you know, who, in my opinion's one of the 20 greatest fighters who ever lived.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: You know, I was so focused and determined that I was ready. I was a machine that night. I mean, June of, what, 1996, Caesar's Palace, outdoors. Don Rivero, the great Mexican master-- I mean, he had the perfect game plan, my gosh. I was so focused, Kevin, so focused that nobody could beat me that night.
KEVIN IOLE: You looked great that night. And now conversely, the next fight they show with you against Trinidad. And, I mean, I don't know if it pains you to watch that. And did you happen to watch it a couple weeks ago when it was on?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: You know what. I regret the last three rounds forever for the rest of my life. I mean, it pains me. It hurts me. I mean, don't get me wrong. I felt I won the fight. But those last three rounds, I should have knocked him out.
KEVIN IOLE: Right. Somebody told me I was taught-- and I don't even remember how I would tell you who it was. But after if we were talking about your fight, somebody said you had said you had injured your legs in training camp. And you didn't have the legs to kind of fight those last three rounds. Is that what it was? Or was it more Gil Clancy saying stay away, stay away, stay away?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean, Gil Clancy, the whole night was telling me, box him-- box him-- box him. You have the fight won-- box him. He hits hard. Don't get hit, just box him. I have to listen to the master, Gil Clancy.
KEVIN IOLE: Yeah, that was crazy. I mean, that, really-- I mean, I think-- I had you winning the fight. But certainly, I think that moment kind of knocked you down a little bit in your career, right? Now, that was sort of-- and then you follow that up with the loss to Shane Mosley in a fight that was what was a good fight.
But the Vargas fight seemed to be the one that maybe turned it or turned it back around for you, because now there was such bad blood between you guys. And, you know, anybody who thought you were a pretty boy and not a tough guy, I think find that in that Vargas fight that Oscar was pretty tough, too.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I remember that first round, the apples knocked me out through the ropes. And it was a tough fight. He hit like a mule. Oh, my gosh. I felt his punches. Every time he would hit me, I mean, like, I never felt anything like it. But I knew that my skill-- I knew that my jab-- my right hand that Mayweather Sr. had me work on-- I knew that right hand was the key to beating Vargas. And it actually worked. And, I mean, we came out successful. But it was that training of Mayweather Sr.
KEVIN IOLE: He-- I remember he was mocking Fernando at the press conference-- turned out Fernando was on steroids. But he came out. He was unbelievably built. And he looked like a bodybuilder in that fight. And I think Floyd Sr. in his poem called him want-to-be ferocious Fernando. And he totally mocked him. But did he take some pressure off you by him kind of going after him and let you sort of stay away from all that stuff?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Yeah, Mayweather-- look-- Mayweather Sr.-- and I can say this honestly-- was my best-- my-- he was the best trainer I ever had.
KEVIN IOLE: Better than Emanuel Steward.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Alongside of Don Rivero.
KEVIN IOLE: OK, wow.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: And, I mean, with all due respect to Emanuel Steward. But Mayweather Sr. is the best trainer I ever had.
KEVIN IOLE: One of the things-- I don't know if it's apocryphal or if it was a real story-- there was a rumor that when you were in training camp in Big Bear for the Vargas fight that you were running, and you ran into Fernando. And you guys came nose to nose. Is that true? And if so, what happened when you saw each other?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: That is true. I had my posse. He had his posse. I mean, you think about or picture 20 guys with me and 20 guys with him. We ran into each other. We looked at each other. And I looked at his face and his eyes. And I saw fear. And I knew I had him right there and then.
KEVIN IOLE: Wow.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: This was like-- this was about two months before the fight.
KEVIN IOLE: And when you say you see fear, what is it you see in a guy when you're looking at him? I mean, did he kind of back away from you? Or what was it that he did?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Right, he didn't look into my eyes. And right there and then, I felt, you know what. This guy's afraid of me. He is afraid of me. He has respect for me because he couldn't look into my eyes.
KEVIN IOLE: So when you stop him in the fight, is it more satisfying to get a win by stoppage in a fight like that where there was such emotion in the fight as opposed to decision?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I would have loved to knock him out. I mean, the referee-- I believe it was a great referee-- was it Joe Cortez, right? He stopped the fight. But I would have loved to knock him out. I mean, that's the biggest best satisfaction that a fighter can have.
But it was a great-- it was a great stoppage. It was a great victory. I felt very pleased, I guess, with that fight. But I would have loved to knock him out. There's nothing like knocking somebody out and winning a fight.
KEVIN IOLE: But when you have that referee come in and put his arm around the other guy and everything. I mean, it's like, OK. That's got to be pretty good too, right, because you see he can't go on. I've kind of-- I've kind of made my point there.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It's satisfying. It's say, oh, my god. Kevin, it's so satisfying when-- when the referee is protecting your opponent from you and getting in between and intervening, it's the best feeling ever. I mean, there's nothing that can top that feeling. You know what I'm saying? Like when you're--
KEVIN IOLE: Oh, of course.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Toppling somebody in the ropes and then-- there's nothing like it.
KEVIN IOLE: It was kind of like when you and I and Eric Gomez played golf. And I saw you reaching in your pocket and handing that money over. That's what it felt like to me.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I remember that. That was a first time in Vegas, yes.
KEVIN IOLE: That's really not true. But liked to-- I know Oscar's a nice guy. He pretended like it was true. I want to ask you one other thing about your fighting career, your fight with Mayweather. So today is, as we record this, the 13th anniversary of me being at Yahoo. And that was my first fight, De La Hoya and Mayweather, that I covered when I worked for Yahoo.
And I remember at six rounds thinking, Oscar's got a chance to win this fight. And you were kind of looking like you were toward the end of your career. And I don't think it's a secret that you lived a hard lifestyle outside of the ring. And so your body was not the same as a typical guy your age would have been.
Do you regret-- you talked about the Trinidad regret. You look back to Floyd, and Floyd's now undefeated. He calls himself the best ever. It seemed to me that was a fight you could have won under certain circumstances. Do you feel like that's one you get away.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, I mean, with Trinidad for instance, I let it get away-- because I was influenced by Gil Clancy. I was-- I boxed him. But with Mayweather, it was physical.
After the 7th, 8th round, my body just broke down. It just broke down. Like you said, because of the wear and tear, all the partying, all the outside the ring. I lived a hard life, Kevin.
KEVIN IOLE: Right. I know.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: And so it caught up to me. In the 7th, 8th, 9th round, they just caught up to me. I mean, if I would have been younger or in great shape, yeah, I feel confident I could have beat him. But it just wasn't my night that night.
KEVIN IOLE: And I think you're a smart enough guy to know that being in that kind of condition and taking care of your body is part of being a fighter. And that's one thing you have to give him is that there was never a fight in his career that he wasn't in magnificent shape. And that's something that is very hard to do, as you know.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: His work ethic is second to none. And that's what I respect about Mayweather, Jr. is that he works hard. He trains hard. He lives, breathes, and eats boxing. And that's what makes him great.
KEVIN IOLE: Another guy who does that is Canelo Álvarez. And I saw this morning-- and I was a little surprised to see this. A guy who I respect a lot, who I think is one of the greatest fighters who ever lived and certainly one of the greatest of this generation-- Andre Ward.
And he kind of-- I mean, he wasn't dogging Canelo. But I don't know if you saw the video where he said that if you look at Canelo's opponents, he fought some names. But the guys he fought in his prime-- he lost to Mayweather and Triple G. He thought he had lost that fight to Triple G.
And so he talked about a Billy Joe Saunders fight, him needing to prove something against Billy Joe Saunders. When you hear a guy with as great eye as Andre Ward, the boxing knowledge of Andre Ward, say that about Canelo, what's your thought?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean, look, Andre Ward is a phenomenal fighter. In my eyes, obviously he retired too soon-- I think, in many people's eyes. I have no clue why or where he's coming from.
I believe that Canelo is still improving. He's still getting better. He's still growing as a fighter. Because-- take this into consideration that he didn't have an amateur career like Andre Ward. Andre ward was an Olympian. So I don't know where he's coming from.
Maybe-- who knows? Maybe Andre Ward wants to make a comeback, and maybe he's calling out Canelo. You never know. I mean, strange things happen in boxing. So who knows? But imagine that, Canelo versus Andre Ward would be incredible.
KEVIN IOLE: I want to ask you-- your relationship with Canelo. Mike Coppinger wrote a big story before the last fight, on "The Athletic," about Canelo, and you guys weren't seeing eye to eye. Canelo seemed to confirm that. I know you didn't talk to Mike for that story. But Canelo seemed to confirm it.
At the press conference it was pretty obvious you two weren't on the best of terms. I know you don't have to be best friends to be able to promote each other and have successful relations. But how did you and Canelo drift apart? And do you feel like this time away-- have you worked at trying to repair whatever issues there were with Canelo?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It's all business, Kevin. I mean, look, in all these years that I've been boxing, inside the ring and outside the ring, I've learned that it's all business. In boxing, there's no loyalty. And it's sad, but that's what I've lived. Canelo is a great fighter. I consider him my friend, but it's business. That's it.
KEVIN IOLE: It's kind of weird. You've been on both sides of that. Because at one point, you were Canelo and Bob Arum was you. And now it's kind of the other way around. So it's like you've seen it from both sides.
Does the fact that you've been on both sides of that battle-- you battle with the promoter. And as the promoter, you battle with the fighter. Does that give you a different perspective? And have you learned how to-- are you gonna change how you treat fighters in the future to try to avoid that kind of situation?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I mean, you learn how to maneuver. You learn how to-- I mean, you keep your guard up. That's basically it. I mean, me being a fighter-- I know how to protect myself.
So I take that into my business life that I have now as a promoter, and I use it to the best of my abilities. I mean, fighters are fighters. And you have to protect yourself at all times, just like Joe Cortez always said.
KEVIN IOLE: News broke a little while ago that DAZN wanted to put on, and you guys had agreed to put on, a Gennady versus Canelo III fight. Now it begs the question with this whole pandemic coming down and when fans can be there-- can you confirm, number one, that that will be the next fight for Canelo? And then number two, do you wait until you can have fans in there or is there any way that you would put that fight on with no fans?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Kevin, I mean, obviously safety's first. That's first and foremost. We still have to figure out how do we make this work? I mean, because Canelo's the biggest star and attraction in boxing.
Canelo-Triple G has to happen. It has to happen. DAZN wants it. We want it. Canelo wants it. Triple G wants it. It has to happen. That has to be the next-- or the first big major, mega fight for boxing. That's how boxing makes a statement. You know what I'm saying?
KEVIN IOLE: Do you need fans there to do that fight or can you do it without fans?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I believe we can do it without fans. But I mean, Canelo's a superstar. He's gonna want to have a packed arena.
KEVIN IOLE: That's a $25 million gate you're giving up if you do it without. And that's pretty tough.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: There's a lot of-- we have to put our heads together, minds together, and really think this out. Because it's not-- there's a lot of money involved with the gate. I mean, imagine a fight of that magnitude with no fans. We've never lived this, ever in our lives. So we have to figure this out.
KEVIN IOLE: Let's wrap it up here, Oscar. I appreciate your time so much. Strange things happen in boxing. And for the longest time, the biggest enemies were Bob Arum and Al Haymon. And then they put on the Wilder-Fury fight.
And now they're talking about Crawford and Spence fighting. And all of a sudden you see them coming together. I think Al Haymon's big enemy on one hand was Bob Arum, and on the other hand was you.
And so now I wonder for Vergil Ortiz, as a guy-- they have a lot of fighters that would be attractive opponents for Vergil, both Al Haymon and Bob Arum, if you throw Crawford in that mix. Do you think you can work with those two promoters? And do you think it's realistic to think that you can get Vergil Ortiz in with, say, the Danny Garciases and the Shawn Porters, et cetera, to get into those big fights?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, Kevin, look-- and you know this best. We've always worked with everybody, whether it's Bob Arum, Al Haymon, Don King, everybody. That's who we are. We want to make the best fights possible. That's it.
Where there's money to be made, fights can be made. And Bob Arum and Al Haymon are the perfect example with Wilder and Tyson Fury. So can these fights be made with Vergil and Terence Crawford and the best wild choice out there? Absolutely, absolutely.
I mean, I believe that Bob Arum wants to make these fights. I believe that Al Haymon-- he's a businessman. He's a smart man. And where there's money to be made, we have to make these fights.
KEVIN IOLE: Awesome. Well, Oscar, I appreciate it. And I promise you, next time you're in Vegas I will not have any extra golf balls in my pockets that peculiarly fall out of my pants and I say-- hey, I found my ball!
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Kevin, always a pleasure. Thank you.
