Jibes against Muslims, Mexicans stir de la Hoya to stage mega-fight
Oscar De La Hoya sarcastically ‘thanked’ Donald Trump for giving him the inspiration to organise the upcoming super-fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Amir Khan.
The Golden Boy Promotions chairman, who has played golf with the Republican presidential candidate in the past, said he organised the bout in protest after hearing Trump’s opinions on Muslims and Mexicans.
Khan, a British-born Muslim fighter, will face Mexican-born WBC middleweight world champion Alvarez in Las Vegas on May 7, the week of Mexican national holiday Cinco de Mayo.
“It’s mind-boggling to know that he has those types of philosophies and thoughts,” De La Hoya told CNN.
“I was watching Donald Trump speaking his nonsense, and I said to myself: ‘Why don’t I put a Muslim fighter and a Mexican fighter in the same ring and create a mega mega event on Cinco de Mayo week, just to show Trump.’”
Trump, the current front-runner among the Grand Old Party’s candidates for the White House, has called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States and for a wall to be built on the country’s border with Mexico.
“I thank Trump for giving me the inspiration to come up with this mega event,” De La Hoya, an American-Mexican, added.
“We’re going to have millions of Muslims, millions of Mexicans, buying payper-view, and watching the fight live from Las Vegas.”
Khan, speaking at a pre-fight press conference in Los Angeles, noted that although it is Cinco de Mayo week, he expects British fans to be out in force.
“It will be like a game of chess,” he said. “Canelo is very strong. I have a very good trainer who will tell me the right game plan. We will go in to win this fight, and I will prove people wrong.
“Even though it is Cinco de Mayo, the British fans will come out. In Vegas, there will be more British flags then Mexican flags.”
Khan has promised to show exactly what he is capable when he fights Alvarez.
Alvarez, who beat Miguel Cotto to win the vacant WBC middleweight title in November, has lost just one of his 47 fights, to pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather in 2013, winning 32 of his bouts by knockout.
Khan has not fought since beating Chris Algeri in May last year, but insisted fans will see “a different Amir Khan in this fight”.
“I really promise you’re going to see a different Amir Khan in this fight,” he said.
“I’ve been let down so many times in having the biggest fights. There’s a lot of big names I’ve wanted to fight but just couldn’t get those fights.
“This is my time now to shine. I want to show the world how good Amir Khan is.
“I’m up against a guy who is a great fighter. Alvarez is a dangerous fighter, he’s strong.
“A lot of people are saying to me, ‘why do you want to move up to middleweight and fight this huge fighter, this huge puncher?’ and I said ‘look guys, I really believe I can win this fight’.
“I know I can take his power, take his speed and I really have the tools to win this fight.”
Former world champion Khan will fight above welterweight for the first time in his career at a catchweight of 155lbs, officially middleweight, to challenge Alvarez on May 7.
Given the significant difference in size between challenger and champion when they appeared together in London, it has appeared as a risky oversight on the part of Khan that he did not demand a restriction on Alvarez’s weight on fight night.