Oscar De La Hoya has urged his former star client to pursue his next several fights with some semblance of urgency.
De La Hoya, the head of Golden Boy Promotion, was pleased to hear that Canelo Alvarez will be returning to his homeland of Mexico for the first time in over a decade to defend his four 168-pound titles against London’s John Ryder May 6 at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.
As for Alvarez’s opponent, De La Hoya was less congratulatory, imploring the Mexican superstar to make sure he pursues a rematch with light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol of Russia and a showdown with highly regarded 168-pound contender David Benavidez. Alvarez suffered a points loss to Bivol last May in a 175-pound title bout.
The Hall of Fame promoter promoted Alvarez, 32, for the majority of his career until they parted ways bitterly in 2020.
“It’s gonna be great,” De La Hoya said of Alvarez’s homecoming fight in an interview with FightHype.com. “I think Canelo going back to his hometown after, what, 12 years? It’s great. He’s gonna have, what, a tune-up fight with Ryder.
“And then he has to fight the big boys, Benavidez and a rematch with Bivol. There’re other fighters there. I’m not sure exactly what weight he’s gonna stay in. I’m not his promoter, I’m not the one you know guiding his career, but if it was up to me, we would have a set plan to really cement his legacy because these last fights he’s gonna have in these last years in boxing, he should make them worthwhile and really build his legacy to become one of the best.”
De La Hoya said fights with Bivol and Benavidez would take Alvarez to another level, historically speaking.
“The reason why a lot of people think he’s slowing down is because Bivol made him look slow, but I don’t think Canelo’s slowing down,” De La Hoya said. “I would make Benavidez-Canelo next because styles make fights. Benavidez will clash with him and who knows whoever lands the first punch wins. It’s those types of fights that build your legacy. It’s those types of types that people say, ‘You know what, I respect you.’ So if I was his promoter, absolutely we would be going in with the best.”
“Just fight the best,” De La Hoya when asked to give some advice to Alvarez. “Avenge the loss to Bivol. Nothing’s impossible, but it’s difficult. Bivol has a style that is not good for Canelo. Bivol is light on his feet, Canelo is very heavy on his feet. That could be a lot of problems for him in the future, but if you try, there’s no knocking you, as long as you try.”