There’s a bit of territory marking going on in the promotional game, as Oscar De La Hoya tells Eddie Hearn America is his.
This weekend sees boxing take over Abu Dhabi as Matchroom’s Dmitry Bivol face Golden Boy’s Gilberto Ramirez. As such, the heads of both companies are in attendance and seem to be getting along just fine – after all, the share a broadcast partner in DAZN.
It’s no secret that Hearn has been hoping to take over America’s boxing scene, but with big hitters like Top Rank and PBC, he has his work cut out. Another man who has gently reminded him of the hierarchy is De La Hoya. He spoke to IFL TV about Hearn’s efforts with Matchroom around the world and, whilst complimentary, said they won’t be taking the reins in the States.
“Internationally and in Europe, he has done great, because he has the backing of DAZN. In America, that’s my territory. Nobody gets in the way of what I’m doing, of how I promote.
There’s a reason why I’ve promoted the Canelos, the Errol Spences, the Bronze Bombers. There’s a reason why I promote Ryan Garcia. There’s a reason why I have Vergil Ortiz. There’s a reason why I promote Ramirez. There’s a reason why we have the best talent in America, and that’s why it’s called Golden Boy Promotions.”
Whilst De La Hoya broke into a big grin after the monologue, his expression throughout said that he should be taken seriously. It comes as he’s been going rogue on Twitter, threatening to expose ‘everyone’ in boxing.
The series of tweets were born from the drama between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence, who are currently going back and forth about which side caused fight negotiations to break down.