Bernard Hopkins thinks Oscar De La Hoya would beat Canelo Alvarez if they fought in their primes. The former champion and current promoter shared his thoughts on this imaginary matchup between two boxing greats.
Hopkins knows both fighters well. He fought De La Hoya in the ring and now works with him at Golden Boy Promotions. Canelo used to be promoted by De La Hoya until they split up in 2020, and there's been bad blood since.
De La Hoya retired in 2008 after winning world titles in six weight classes. He's now focused on his role as a promoter. Canelo, on the other hand, is still active and at the top of his game.
Hopkins believes De La Hoya would win on points. He explained his reasoning based on his own experience fighting 'The Golden Boy':
"Oscar by decision. He would outbox him, jab him. If you look at me and Oscar's fight, I knew I was losing that fight and my trainer told me you gotta be the big guy. I was bigger as far as you know I'd been at middleweight just about 80% of my career. I had to go ahead and force my will on Oscar and actually get close to Oscar. But leading up to that tenth, eleventh round, he was winning and I was getting outpointed. I would hit Oscar with one or two punches, he'd hit me with three, four, five. They didn't hurt me but they were still adding up and I had to literally go and actually make him fight with me like Canelo would try to do."
Hopkins pointed out that De La Hoya's high punch output and boxing skills would be key factors. He thinks Canelo would have to try to close the distance and force De La Hoya to fight, just like Hopkins had to do.
While this matchup will never happen, both fighters have plenty going on. Canelo is looking to become a two-time undisputed champion at super middleweight by facing IBF World Champion William Scull. He's also got his eye on a mega fight with Terence Crawford in September.
De La Hoya, now on the other side of the ropes, doesn't think Crawford will win that fight. He believes moving up two weight classes will be too much for Crawford to handle.
This imaginary matchup shows how boxing fans and insiders love to debate across eras. It's a testament to the lasting impact both De La Hoya and Canelo have had on the sport.
