Oscar De La Hoya, the former boxing champion and founder of Golden Boy Promotions, has fired back at Juan Manuel Marquez. The Hall of Fame Mexican legend recently accused De La Hoya's company of financial misconduct.
Marquez made his claims on the 'Un Round Mas' podcast. He said Golden Boy Promotions 'stole' from him and tried to take 20% of his earnings from the Pacquiao fight after he didn't renew his contract.
"He says, 'I see you're not renewing. We want 20% of your earnings from the Pacquiao fight.' They accused me of stealing from them. They called me a thief. I told Oscar, sure, 20%? No problem. In my mind, I thought, yeah [right], I'll give it after you stole from me for five years? … I don't care if he hears this. Let him know. He tried to charge me a percentage for the Pacquiao fight."
The fight Marquez refers to was his fourth and final bout with Manny Pacquiao. Marquez won by knockout in the sixth round. It was a big payday, with Pacquiao getting $26 million guaranteed and Marquez $6 million plus a share of the pay-per-view profits, which topped one million buys.
De La Hoya didn't hold back in his response. He called Marquez 'bitter' and 'broke', and said the deal was standard practice.
"Professor De La Hoya here to educate bitter, broke, retired fighters who think it's okay to slander my company's name without any repercussions. Over the last few months it has become popular for retired fighters to clout-chase by alleging that I some how screwed them over decades ago when they fought for Golden Boy. Juan Manuel Marquez went on a podcast where he bitched and cried that I took 20% of his pay-per-view purse for the Pacquiao fight in 2012. Juan, you moron, you negotiated that contract with your own promoter and lawyer and you signed it. You agreed to it all on paper. Plus, 20% of a pay-per-view purse is the standard amount for a promoter to be paid. You think I should work for free?"
De La Hoya, who founded Golden Boy Promotions in 2002 after retiring from boxing, insisted he's always paid everyone what they're contracted to receive.
"Listen, dude, I'm sorry you're broke, but how you spend your money is not my problem. I have always paid everyone exactly what they are contracted and entitled to. Juan, let's be honest, you only heard this because you heard Canelo defame me at the press conference in May … I hate to see former fighters end up like this, it's sad and pathetic. But slandering me is only going to get you in trouble, dude. So keep my name out of your f***ing mouth."
This isn't the only controversy De La Hoya's involved in. He's also commented on Canelo Alvarez's upcoming fight with Edgar Berlanga, calling it a mismatch and a 'snooze fest'. It's part of a long-running feud between the two.
Golden Boy Promotions continues to be a major player in boxing, despite these controversies. They've recently entered into partnerships with Riyadh Season, showing their ongoing influence in the sport.
