Oscar De La Hoya has delivered a typically theatrical reaction to Dana White’s first ever Zuffa Boxing show, suggesting it lacked excitement and creativity.
The UFC boss entered the boxing market last year with lofty ambitions and provocative statements, promising to introduce an entirely new format.
In reality, though, his debut show earlier this month, which was topped by Callum Walsh’s points victory over Carlos Ocampo, seemed to lack any real bells and whistles.
The main event made for a largely lacklustre display while the rest of the card, in fairness, has been praised for its action-packed matchups.
Golden Boy promoter De La Hoya has strong views, seizing the opportunity to lambast White and his team at Zuffa.
Taking to Instagram in his latest edition of ‘Clapback Thursday’, De La Hoya made no attempt to hide his true feelings about the new promotional outfit.
“The big debut of Zuffa is out – and it couldn’t be less of what they promised us it would be.
“There was no new ring; there was no new belt; no new rules and no faces anybody recognised.
“They told us boxing [is] broken and they were coming to change it and fix it, but all they did was copy and paste what we have been doing for 100-plus years.
“You could hear a pin drop in that arena; there was zero vibe or excitement. It honestly felt like a [COVID-19] bubble show. It had the look of a club show with the action of a sparring session.”
While his first show received a selection of mixed reviews, White could look to change De La Hoya’s mind when he stages his second Zuffa event this Sunday, once again at the Meta Apex, Las Vegas.
This time, the card is headlined by former world champion Jose Valenzuela, who takes on Diego Torres Nunez in what looks to be a solid lightweight matchup on paper.
Elsewhere on the bill, Serhii Bohachuk vs Radzhab Butaev and Radivoje Kalajdzic vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk represent two well-matched contests that could quite easily steal the show.
