Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya’s relationship has always been rocky, and things could potentially get worse for them both.

Since building the UFC into the biggest combat sports promotion in the world, Dana White has picked his next venture as he looks to save boxing.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that White has partnered with Turki Alalshikh to launch a new boxing league called ‘TKO Boxing’, and they plan to run it similarly to how the UFC is run.

The UFC boss has been teasing launching a boxing promotion for several years, having originally created Zuffa boxing, with that having now been disbanded.

Oscar De La Hoya flames Dana White’s move to boxing

Although there is a portion of the boxing world that is excited about White’s arrival in the sport, he has been flamed by former pro, Pauli Malinaggi.

Not only that but White has been warned by fellow promoter, Eddie Hearn, that the boxing world can be relentless and he will need to sleep with ‘one eye open’.

Despite Dana and Hearn having a decent relationship, one boxing promoter who isn’t White’s biggest fan is Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya and White have never seen eye to eye and have always made it clear how they feel about each other and the Golden Boy Boxing promoter has given his opinion on White’s move to boxing.

“Dana White doesn’t know boxing, we’ve had interesting people come into the sport, trying to promote, manage, this and that over the years and try to do it the wrong way and change the sport of boxing,” De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV

“Obviously we all want the sport of boxing to grow and to get better, to make sure the fighters are always paid well and that’s the most important thing about boxing is that the fighters are getting paid.

“Unlike the UFC where it’s gonna be interesting how the UFC fighters are gonna react when fighters are getting so much money in boxing, then Dana doesn’t pay the UFC fighters… We all can change boxing,” he continued.

Dana White wants to build bridges in boxing

Over the years, White has been heavily critical regarding the sport of boxing, criticizing promoters and fighters for the way the sport has changed.

Ahead of his move into that world, he realizes he will need to build some bridges that he has previously burned.

“I’ve talked a lot of s— about boxing for the last 25 years, so I got some s— to do, I’ve got to get to work and figure out not just the infrastructure, I’m gonna work out who we’re gonna hire and start building a team like we do in the UFC,” White said at the UFC 313 post-fight press conference.

“There are guys that I like and guys that I don’t like, I would imagine that I’ll continue to like the guys that I like and continue to dislike the guys that I don’t like, so I’m sure none of that’s gonna change, it’ll probably get worse if anything,” White continued.

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