With the 25th anniversary of his company Golden Boy Promotions just around the corner, Oscar De La Hoya is preparing for two back-to-back championship boxing events. By the time this article is published, either WBC super lightweight belt holder Devin Haney or Ryan Garcia will have triumphed at their April 20 match, and De La Hoya will be days away from his fighter, Jaime Munguía, entering the ring on Cinco de Mayo weekend against Golden Boy alumni and undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez.
After Garcia’s wild prefight antics, the Álvarez-Munguía card will seem more like a classic gentlemen’s boxing match, with Munguía’s crowd-pleasing style complementing Álvarez’s counter-punching excellence. It’s also the first time Álvarez has taken on a fellow countryman as an opponent in years, making it a highlight in Golden Boy’s historical timeline.
“I’m extremely proud with what we have accomplished over the years,” De La Hoya said to Las Vegas Magazine in an April interview. He credits veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum as an inspiration and architect of a blueprint for success. “Learning the ropes over the years through him when he promoted my career, I actually always took notes. Bob was the very best at doing it, and I’m hoping one day I can get inducted into the Hall of Fame as a promoter.”
While De La Hoya’s status as a Hall of Fame fighter is what attracts a fighter like Haney to accept a match with Golden Boy’s Garcia, his relationship with Álvarez became strained after the pandemic cut off professional boxing’s live event revenue stream and complicated promoters’ abilities to fulfill contractual obligations.
Álvarez may not break bread with De La Hoya in the future, but he will do business with Golden Boy, which recently relocated from Los Angeles. “The move to Las Vegas was necessary because I have big plans for boxing,” said De La Hoya. “I have big, big plans for Golden Boy in Las Vegas.”
A Munguía victory would be a first major milestone in Golden Boy’s new era. The 27-year-old from Tijuana has been working with legendary trainer Freddie Roach and is capable of gaining more than 15 pounds of rehydration mass after the prefight weigh-in. He has height advantage and slightly more reach, but he’ll be best served if he denies Álvarez chances to get in close for body shots and looks for opportunities to throw his wicked left hook.
A Munguía victory could herald the ushering in of a new generation of champions, with hype-savvy stars like Garcia blazing new promotional trails on social media. “There’s a lot of good fighters coming up,” said De La Hoya. “YouTubers are shedding a bright light on the sport as well, like Jake Paul. Fighters like that who can bring attention to the sport and sort of make it bigger. It’s my job as a promoter to continue to build the next generation of fighters. It’s very important to me personally to make Las Vegas the Fight Capitol of the World again.”
T-Mobile Arena, fights begin at 2:30 p.m. May 4, starting at $305 plus tax and fee. axs.com
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