Oscar De La Hoya: Canelo won’t fight Daniel Jacobs on May 4

“Not Jacobs,” Oscar De La Hoya said, seemingly dead serious, when asked about Canelo Alvarez’s next scheduled fight, after his Saturday showdown against Rocky Fielding.

May 4, a date set aside by Golden Boy Promotions for Alvarez, and it sounds more than quite likely that it will take place at middleweight.

That’s where Oscar says he likes Alvarez, and he said this after wondering aloud after a Thursday press conference at Madison Square Garden finished, and principals did one-on-ones, whether maybe Fielding could prove to be too big.

Maybe that’s the promoter side of him, of course, one always has to run some things he and any promoters say through that particular filter.

OK, May 4, he was asked: maybe we see Canelo versus Brooklyn’s Daniel Jacobs at T-Mobile in Vegas?

“Not in May, not at all, nope. I secured the date in May for Canelo Alvarez, we have no opponent whatsoever, but not Jacobs,” said Oscar.

Could it be David Lemieux, he was asked?

“Who knows, I don’t know, but not Jacobs.”

Any other hints of next?

“I want to see that fight again,” the Golden Boy said of a Canelo versus Gennady Golovkin tango, what would be their third. “Everybody wants to see that again. We’re not sure what GGG is gonna do, we’re obviously not waiting for him. But I definitely want to see that fight relatively soon.”

He was asked again about Jacobs, he firmly reiterated his stance.

“No, it’s never gonna happen, not in May. I have my own plans I can’t reveal them now.”

Is there a hint hiding in plain sight? I mean, if David Lemieux downs Tureano Johnson in their middleweight scrap underneath the Canelo-Fielding fight, would it not make sense to book a Canelo versus Lemieux fight unfold in May? Lemieux maintains he is a different animal than the one who got handled by Gennady Golovkin in 2015 at Madison Square Garden.

People around him say he’s dialed in, more mature, his health is good, and he’s on a re-ascent path. I think it likely that his name is front and center as people ponder next if Fielding isn’t able to pull off the upset of the year on Saturday night.

On another note: that Oscar v Dana White beef has been more on than off this week. White went in on Oscar and got real personal, referring to his publicized battling with substances. Oscar basically stuck to business in returning fire, noting how UFC fighters haven’t done as well as boxers in sharing of the pot. Then, on the Luke Thomas Show, Oscar said hey Dana, let’s settle this in the ring.

He threw a sharp combo, saying that White could take a few months to get off the super supplements, and then they could trade leather, and also alleged that White has never actually put on gloves in his life, though Dana’s bio says otherwise. He’d spot White 50 pounds, and be fine with that, he said. Oscar said today that “there’s no issue” between him and Dana, but allowed that “(White) feels threatened.”

White “tried getting into boxing and he couldn’t even stage one event because it’s not as easy to promote.” He termed his MMA foray a success “considering what we had to work with.” So, he said, “stop bitching, let’s just move on.” But, “the more he talks, the more I’m going to continue promoting MMA.”

My three cents: White many moons ago wanted to fight on camera with Tito Ortiz but that came apart. The MMA empire builder says he has a boxing history, that he fought in smokers back in the day, in Boston. They person who finds footage will get a nice chunk of change. So, yeah, an Oscar vs Dana fight won’t happen, White is combustible but not brain damaged. Oscar would destruct and destroy him right quick. Hmmmm — maybe we could proclaim PPV dead after this one gets booked, because yes, I’d pay to watch this novelty bout.

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