Oscar De La Hoya: I’m Ready to Work With Al Haymon
- Matthew Brown
- May 9
- 3 min read
05/09/2025
Golden Boy Promotions founder and CEO Oscar De La Hoya says he’s ready to turn the page on a decade of discord and fully embrace a collaborative future with longtime rival Al Haymon and his Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) enterprise.
In a recent interview with CompuBox’s Dan Cannobio, De La Hoya made his intentions clear: he wants to build a more consistent partnership with Haymon, whose company still controls one of the deepest stables in boxing. “I’m ready to work with Al Haymon,” De La Hoya said.
The relationship between De La Hoya and Haymon has long been complicated. Once business partners, their alliance turned sour a little over a decade ago. In 2015, De La Hoya sued Haymon for $300 million, alleging violations of federal antitrust laws and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. That lawsuit, viewed by many as a shot across the bow in boxing’s cold war, was ultimately dismissed in 2017.
Since then, attempts at cooperation have been inconsistent at best—and at times, outright hostile. De La Hoya was often cited as a roadblock to potential matchups involving fighters from both promotional banners. A particularly glaring example came when a fight between PBC’s Jermall Charlo and Golden Boy’s Jaime Munguia fell apart despite all sides initially agreeing to terms. Reports suggested De La Hoya’s interference derailed the bout.
After years of stalemate, the ice began to crack in April 2023 with the mega-fight between Gervonta “Tank” Davis (PBC) and Ryan García (Golden Boy). It was a commercial and cultural success. However, insiders from both parties revealed that De La Hoya was effectively sidelined during negotiations. De La Hoya later confirmed that himself during an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast.
“I would love to speak to Al Haymon. I would love to make fights happen. This is the door. This is the open door to make big fights happen,” De La Hoya had told Boxing Scene in 2023, hinting even then at his willingness to mend fences.
“It’s all for boxing,” De La Hoya remarked at the time. In a lighthearted moment that underlined the lingering tension, Leonard Ellerbe—then still CEO of Mayweather Promotions and a key Haymon confidant—chimed in beside De La Hoya: “You gotta be nice though.”
That door has remained ajar ever since. De La Hoya and Haymon once again worked together in May 2024 for the high-profile Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia bout.
De La Hoya appears to have taken that “be nice” advice to heart. Most recently, he collaborated with PBC for the May 2 Times Square card that featured Rolando “Rolly” Romero capturing the vacant WBA World Welterweight Championship in a bout with Ryan García. Prominent PBC officials were in attendance for the event.
De La Hoya had also finalized a June 28 cruiserweight clash between his fighter Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Cuban former world champion Yuniel Dorticos. While Dorticos is not formally tied to PBC, he is represented by Luis DeCubas Sr.—a longtime Haymon associate and a key player in the PBC ecosystem.
The most tantalizing possibility of future Golden Boy and PBC collaborations may be a partnership between Golden Boy’s rising star Vergil Ortiz Jr. and PBC’s loaded junior middleweight roster. The division includes Errol Spence Jr., Jermell Charlo, Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora, who are all potential blockbuster opponents for Ortiz.
From the PBC perspective, the door has never been closed. Their model has long allowed for deals with any promoter if the business makes sense for their fighter, and that includes De La Hoya. Over the years, PBC has worked with Top Rank, Matchroom, Queensberry Promotions, Turki Alalshikh, and others across events big and small.
De La Hoya’s willingness to extend an olive branch could be the key to unlocking those matchups.
While skepticism is warranted—given the history and De La Hoya’s erraticism—there’s no denying that a collaborative spirit between De La Hoya and Haymon would benefit the entire sport. Boxing thrives when barriers between promoters fall away, allowing the best to fight the best.
Time will ultimately tell, but the door is open.
For now, De La Hoya seems committed to being “nice.” If that commitment holds, fans may see some of the dream fights that have been stuck in limbo.
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