An enraged Canelo Alvarez confronted Oscar De La Hoya and branded him a “son of a bitch” in a heated press conference.
On Wednesday night, Canelo reacted angrily to comments made by De La Hoya, the agent for his next opponent, Jaime Munguia, ahead of this weekend's Cinco de Mayo fight.
De La Hoya, who was in charge of Canelo's career before their split, slammed the former star, claiming he made Canelo the man he is today, before mentioning his past drug scandals.
He said, “Golden Boy Promotions created Canelo Alvarez, and this company that you fought for decades has always had one name, and it's mine, so with all due respect.'' I want it,” he said.
“Jamie has always tried to be great. This is a full circle for him. At the age of 21, Canelo volunteered to fight GGG but failed two drug tests.
“Jaime was not allowed to realize that dream in 2018, but on Saturday he will achieve it and become world champion.”
That prompted the 33-year-old to stand up and confront the Golden Boy chief, whose security had to stand between the two former friends.
Canelo taunted De La Hoya in Spanish before taking the microphone, giving the 11-time world champion a run for his money.
“I said he’s an asshole,” an excited Canelo yelled. “He tried to keep the attention on himself and not on Munguia.
“He steals from the fighters, that's what he does. Asshole. Asshole.
“He's mad that I left Golden Boy. I'm Golden Boy's diamond. Golden Boy won't be the same without me…
“I don't think very highly of Oscar, but if he says something in my area, I have to say something too.”
Canelo is scheduled to defend his undisputed super middleweight title against Munguia on May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It will be the first time the Mexican superstar will face De La Hoya's fighter since his acrimonious parting ways with Golden Boy Promotions in 2020.
Warning: The video below contains strong offensive language
De La Hoya had already caused a stir by claiming before the press conference that Canelo's time in the sun was over.
Of Munguia, the 51-year-old said: He's in that position now. This is his moment. This could be the Cinco de Mayo changing of the guard ceremony.
“Since we have a man, the important thing is footwork.” [Canelo]he is 33 years old and you have a younger man [Munguia].
“So obviously his legs are fresher. Canelo can take punches better, even though he has a good chin.”
“But with all the wear and tear below the belt, the armor tends to flex a little bit at that stage.”
Although relatively unknown, Munguia retained his WBO light middleweight title with wins over Sergiy Derevyanchenko and John Ryder, earning him a chance to face Canelo.
“I'm very, very happy and full of enthusiasm for this great opportunity,” Munguia said.
“I am deeply grateful to everyone involved in making this fight possible.
“I'm ready to give my fans a great night of boxing on Saturday, May 4th. I can't wait to prove to the world that I'm capable of great things. Viva Tijuana, Viva Tijuana Mexico!”