Oscar De La Hoya’s name is back in the headlines, though not for reasons he’d prefer. A six-division world champion over a storied 16-year career, ‘The Golden Boy’ built his legacy with marquee wins over legends like Julio Cesar Chavez, Arturo Gatti, Pernell Whitaker, Jeff Mayweather, and Hector Camacho. Following a decisive loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2008, De La Hoya retired from boxing and shifted his focus to boxing promotion. As the head of Golden Boy Promotions, he found considerable success as a promoter, but not without his share of controversies and public disputes.
De La Hoya has had a rocky track record with his top-tier fighters, most recently falling out with Ryan Garcia. Before that, he famously clashed with Canelo Alvarez, who parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions after a decade-long partnership that ended in an ugly lawsuit against both the company and its broadcast partner DAZN, alleging breach of contract and seeking at least $280 million in damages. The vestiges of the fallout are still visible today between the two. However, ironically, it now appears that De La Hoya is using Canelo Alvarez as a tool in his latest feud, this time against Edgar Berlanga, following the latter’s recent antics.
A fresh twist in the Oscar De La Hoya-Edgar Berlanga feud arrived just hours ago, featuring a candid conversation between De La Hoya and Radio Raheem. When asked for his “clap back” on Berlanga after the Nuyorican’s antics at the Ring III presser in New York yesterday, the 52-year-old, after a brief pause, responded without holding back. “I don’t even know what to say. I think he’s demented,” said the Golden Boy head honcho. “I think there is something wrong with him. I really do. Somebody who has a victory party after losing every single round to Canelo is crazy. He is nuts. I really do think that he’s rattled up there. I think he’s just I don’t know what it is. He’s just confused. He has, I don’t know. I can’t say scared, but he’s just distracted.”
The tension had been brewing all week and came to a head during Wednesday’s open workout, where Edgar Berlanga didn’t hide his animosity. Speaking to reporters, the Brooklyn-born super middleweight fired the first shot. “If I see him, I’ll smack him,” he said, directly targeting The Golden Boy CEO. De La Hoya didn’t let the comment slide and responded with a sharp warning of his own: “Please wear all the jewelry you own… I look forward to you trying to slap me like you’ve been promising.”
True to form, Edgar Berlanga showed up flaunting his jewelry, and by the time the final press conference for Ring III rolled around at the Hard Rock in Times Square, the stage was set for confrontation. What was meant to be a promotional event for his July 12th bout with Hamzah Sheeraz at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens quickly turned into a battleground, with Oscar De La Hoya and Edgar Berlanga trading insults.
Edgar Berlanga clowns Oscar De La Hoya as Ring III presser erupts
Thursday’s final Ring III press conference gave fans exactly the fireworks they were hoping for. It all started when Shakur Stevenson casually proposed a bet to Oscar De La Hoya over his co-main bout with William Zepeda. De La Hoya playfully brushed him off, saying, “You don’t have enough money.” And that cheeky jab lit the fuse. Stevenson pulled out a Mexican leather belt, but it was Edgar Berlanga quickly who stole the spotlight, yanking out a leather duffel bag and throwing a wig, cash, and pink women’s underwear at De La Hoya, making fun of the promoter’s old antics.
Berlanga shouted, “You’re my stripper… F— you. F— you, str-pper. You couldn’t even afford me!” It was a clear dig at De La Hoya’s infamous 2007 photoshoot in women’s lingerie. Laughing off the theatrics, De La Hoya returned fire with sharp precision, mocking Berlanga’s lack of accolades: “You have no world titles. Let me put them on now! I’ve got some right here for you!” He went further, questioning The Chosen One’s cultural pride: “I’ve been asking for your Puerto Rican passport. I’m more Puerto Rican than you! Your jewelry is as fake as your wins!”
And the tension peaked when Edgar Berlanga jumped from his seat, ready to escalate the confrontation, prompting security to intervene before things turned physical. That said, the question is: will Edgar Berlanga bring that same fire into the ring when he faces Hamzah Sheeraz? More importantly, can he finally silence De La Hoya and derail His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s grand plans for Sheeraz?
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