Promoter Oscar De La Hoya agreed to Eddie Hearn’s offer for a 5 vs 5 Golden Boy vs. Matchroom card. Former six-division world champion De La Hoya is looking to make it a 6 vs 6, with him facing Hearn in the main event.
The 45-year-old Hearn has no boxing experience and would not stand a chance against the 51-year-old De La Hoya in a fight.
De La Hoya said that Hearn must agree to the terms for the fights to be contested in a “small ring” so that neither fighter can “run,” which is a dig at Shakur Stevenson because of his highly mobile style.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) would be at a tremendous disadvantage against high-volume push fighter Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) in a small 16 foot ring. While Hearn agreed to the Stevenson-Zepeda fight, he did not mention De La Hoya’s condition that it be in a smaller ring rather than a 24-foot one that Shakur will likely insist on.
De La Hoya’s 5 vs 5 in “Tiny Ring”
– Vergil Ortiz vs Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
– Jaime Munguia vs Diego Pacheco
– William Zepeda vs. Shakur Stevenson
– Oscar Duarte vs. Devin Haney
– Jose Ramirez vs. Arnold Barboza: Winner faces Jack Catterall
Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is coming off a three-knockout, 12-round majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20 at the Barclays Center. Haney took a lot of punishment in that fight, and he probably isn’t going to be comfortable fighting a slugger like Oscar Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KOs).
Hearn-promoted IBF welterweight champion ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) has never fought at 154, and he may not be ready to take on undefeated WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21) to face. KOs) in his debut in the weight class.
Ortiz Jr. is coming off a grueling majority decision win over Serhii Bohachuk on Aug. 10 in a fight many fans felt he lost. Ortiz Jr may be dragging his feet on the idea of fighting Boots Ennis because it involves risk. He did not want to give Bohachuk a rematch to clear up the controversy surrounding their fight.
Only three of the fights that De La Hoya is interested in have a chance to take place. In Hearn’s response to De La Hoya’s offer, he points out that he is not promoting Devin Haney, but he will ask him if he is interested in fighting Duarte. Hearn also reminds De La Hoya that he is no longer promoting Munguia. He’s with Top Rank now, but if he returns, it’s a possibility.
“Boots v Ortiz – AGREED. Munguia v Pacheco, he left you for Top Rank, but if you can bring him back, AGREEED. Shakur v Zepeda AGREED. Duarte v Haney, Devin is not officially with us but happy with the fight and booking with him. Catrall v Barboza/Ramirez AGREED,” said Eddie Hearn Xagrees to most of the five fights that Oscar De La Hoya proposed, but does not mention the challenge for a fight between them.
It’s your favorite time of the week!!!!!!! 🍆👏🍆👏 pic.twitter.com/hgvQeS3rVW
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) November 7, 2024
