LOS ANGELES – The breakup between Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya was one of the most high-profile splits in recent boxing history involving a fighter and promoter. 

Alvarez sued Golden Boy Promotions and streaming service DAZN in September 2020 to break away from a lucrative deal, and thus, became the most prized free agent in the sport. 

De La Hoya helped build Alvarez over the course of a near 10-year stretch that ultimately landed the undisputed super middleweight champion a 10-fight contract with DAZN in 2018 that could’ve been worth up to $365 million.

However, relationship fractures emerged between the promoter and pugilist, and it eventually resulted in a split.

Alvarez has landed on his feet fantastically during his post-Golden Boy days. As BoxingScene.com senior writer Keith Idec reported in February, Alvarez could make up to $100 million altogether after he completes fights with Dmitry Bivol on May 7 and Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 17.

De La Hoya is busy building up his next two budding stars in separate DAZN shows headlined by Vergil Ortiz on March 19 and Ryan Garcia on April 9. Ortiz entertained the idea of joining forces with Alvarez and trainer Eddy Reynoso before billing Manny Robles as his new coach, while Garcia decided to end his 3 ½ run in the San Diego stable last month and left Alvarez’s nest. 

De La Hoya gave it some additional thought as to why Alvarez decided to steer his career in a different direction away from him. 

“Look, I’ve been thinking a lot about what exactly happened and took place. Canelo said that I wasn’t loyal and I know where that comes from,” De La Hoya told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I remember giving an interview and not criticizing Eddy Reynoso, but kind of like of telling ‘maybe Canelo can use a different trainer or somebody new and different that can show different techniques, just the way I had changed trainers. The way Ryan is changing trainers. It only helps. So I believe that criticism there that I had toward Eddy Reynoso didn’t rub off the right way with Canelo. So now I’m disloyal. And it’s OK. It’s fine. I have no issue with that. If Canelo came up to me and we shook hands, then everything is fine. It’s no big deal. I hold no grudges whatsoever.”

De La Hoya is adamant that he will once again do business with Alvarez in the near future. Although De La Hoya continually praises Alvarez as boxing’s No. 1 fighter both in interviews and via social media, he believes he has two fighters who can best boxing's biggest breadwinner. 

“At one point, we are going to have to face him with either Jaime Munguia or Gilberto Ramirez in whichever weight class [Alvarez] chooses to fight in,” said De La Hoya. “We have him kind of locked in and cornered … Jaime is being groomed to be the next big star, and what better fight than a fight with Canelo in an all-Mexican clash. We haven’t seen one of those in a long time at the highest levels, so that’s the idea.”

Since becoming a world titlist for the first time in 2011, in a span of 24 fights, Alvarez has fought just four fighters of Mexican heritage in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Alfredo Angulo, Josesito Lopez, and Alfonso Gomez.

Alvarez has maintained that since he's Mexico's biggest boxing representative, he doesn't prefer to fight with Mexican fighters anymore, but he’s willing to on a case-by-case basis. 

Munguia and Ramirez are both from Mexico.

“It’s a sentiment that I got from him [that Alvarez doesn’t want to fight Mexican fighters],” said De La Hoya. “But in order to be great, you have to face everybody. Jaime and Gilberto are going to be knocking on this door soon.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.