Famed boxing promoter and former world champion Oscar De La Hoya has been the biggest hater of Conor McGregor’s upcoming superfight with Floyd Mayweather on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. Not only has De La Hoya publicly called out UFC president Dana White, but the 44-year-old recently suggested the date of the bout is “disrespectful” considering his fighter, Canelo Alvarez, is scheduled to take on undefeated Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 16. While some may agree with “The Golden Boy” and his disgust for Mayweather vs. McGregor, fellow boxing promoter and all-around boxing enthusiast Lou DiBella is not one of them.
“I’m not against it. Oscar should shut the hell up,” DiBella said during a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani (shown above). “He should shut the f**k up.
“He walked out of some, like, club or whatever talking about the guy [McGregor] fighting Canelo Alvarez. All of a sudden, now, the biggest name in boxing, the biggest guy, he’s over 40, he’s in retirement, coming out of retirement, he’s a superstar, Mayweather, gonna fight Conor McGregor. Probably the most charismatic, biggest self-promoter in the history of MMA, and it’s a mega event. It’s an event! It’s not a boxing match. It’s a freaking event. It’s a spectacle. I wanna see it.”
While DiBella’s reaction regarding Mayweather vs. McGregor gives MMA fans hope that other high-profile names around the boxing community are interested in seeing the superfight, the boxing promoter doesn’t believe for one second that “Notorious” can defeat “Money” inside of the ring.
“Is he gonna win? He’s not gonna f**king win,” DiBella said of McGregor. “But, it could be fun.”
DiBella added that McGregor will land punches, but may get toyed with for all 12 rounds. Whether or not DiBella’s assessment of the impending action rings true, at least he’s acknowledging the appeal of such a historic matchup.