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Oscar De La Hoya has predicted a “changing of the guard” when on Saturday Jaime Munguia challenges Saul Alvarez for the undisputed super-middleweight title.
“Canelo” Alvarez enters the all-Mexican showdown, at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Cinco de Mayo weekend, as the significant favourite against Munguia – a proven fighter but one who, unlike David Benavidez, is far from considered Alvarez’s greatest threat.
Saturday’s fight comes with Munguia established as one of Golden Boy Promotions’ leading fighters and with tension persisting between Alvarez and De La Hoya, Golden Boy’s figurehead and therefore influential in Alvarez’s success until his departure for Matchroom in 2018.
The 33 year old will again be a free agent at the conclusion of Saturday’s fight – it is being promoted by Premier Boxing Champions – but more significant could be the aftermath for Golden Boy, an organisation in the middle of a potentially defining period.
Ryan Garcia’s recent, unexpected victory over Devin Haney could yet prove transformative for the promoters, but with the 27-year-old Munguia risking his undefeated status against Alvarez ahead of the high-stakes fight between his stablemate Vergil Ortiz Jr and Tim Tszyu, their two other leading fighters could soon be faced with rebuilding following defeat.
There regardless was a time when De La Hoya occupied a similar status as that relished by Alvarez in 2024, but asked of Munguia’s prospects, the promoter said: “He’s a beast. Changing of the guard, baby. Changing of the guard. Let’s go.
“As a fighter, I always talk up fighters in the ring. Outside the ring, it’s a whole different story. Everybody talks about me outside of the ring – the s*** that I did whenever, back in the past. It is what it is. It’s out in the open, whatever. Inside the ring nobody can criticise me. That’s the respect that I deserve.
“But ‘Canelo’ talking all this s*** – that’s all it is. It’s s***. The fact that he can’t be around me because the attention is off him – that’s a big thing for him and it f**** with his head. I don’t understand it because he’s a great fighter. I respect him as a fighter, but I don’t respect him as a person.”
It had previously been suggested that Garcia’s separation from Eddy Reynoso – Alvarez’s long-term trainer – owed in part to Garcia’s belief that he would struggle for the attention he believed he required from Reynoso while he and Alvarez shared the same gym.
“Oh yeah,” said De La Hoya, who co-promotes De La Hoya with Zanfer. “Even Ryan mentioned – Canelo’s a jealous guy. He cannot have the attention diverted to someone else. And I understand that.”