Oscar De La Hoya Tells Dana White to Stay in His Lane

Oscar De La Hoya has a message for Dana White, and it isn't a subtle one. Speaking with DAZN, the Golden Boy promoter said boxing would be better off without White anywhere near it, arguing the UFC chief doesn't belong in the sport and should keep his focus on the octagon. De La Hoya framed it as everyone sticking to what they do best — promoters who know boxing running boxing, and White running MMA.

The core of his gripe is business, not ego. De La Hoya accused the Zuffa model of trying to monopolize boxing the way it did MMA, and warned that fighters won't accept being squeezed out of the money and the world titles they chase. He's betting the sport's history and its belts can't be erased by a takeover, and he leaned into the opportunity DAZN's structure gives Golden Boy to make the best fights with any promoter — namely PBC and Eddie Hearn.

The Roster He's Banking On

De La Hoya's optimism runs through his young talent. He name-dropped Josh Edwards, Darius Fulgham and Amari Jones, but reserved the biggest call for Floyd Schofield, who he flat-out predicts will become a superstar. The numbers back the hype: Schofield is 19-0 with 13 knockouts, ranked #7 at lightweight, and coming off a first-round demolition of Tevin Farmer.

That's the kind of prospect you build a promotional pitch around, and De La Hoya clearly intends to. He said this next generation is better than the current crop, and he's staking his reputation on every young fighter on the Golden Boy books reaching greatness. Big words. The Farmer finish suggests at least one of them can cash the check.

The Hall of Fame Angle

There's a personal endgame here too. De La Hoya, already a Hall of Famer as a fighter, said his dream is to go in a second time as a promoter — ideally the first and only person to do both. It's an ambition that doubles as a thesis: boxing's traditional promotional model, the one he's trying to honor, is worth protecting.

Whether White actually storms the sport is the open question hanging over all of this. The heavyweight picture alone shows how much is in motion, with Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KO) stopping Fabio Wardley in the 11th in their rematch. De La Hoya's point is that the chaos should be handled by boxing people. White, predictably, is unlikely to see it that way.