“Well, it seems the Saudi money is drying up,” De La Hoya said during his “Clapback Thursday” segment, referencing multiple reports that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is reassessing high-cost ventures. He cited golf as the clearest example.
“The league’s struggle to gain traction and there was little return on investment,” he said, adding that the fund is now “regrouping and cutting the investments that are bleeding cash.”
Oscar is basically arguing that the era of blank check international sports spending is ending in favor of more sustainable, domestic projects.
That point led directly into boxing, where De La Hoya argued that spending levels have outpaced any clear return. He pointed to major purses and headline deals as evidence of a system built on heavy outlay rather than revenue
“They’ve paid a lot of money. How they paid $100 million for Canelo alone? It’s a loss,” De La Hoya said, referencing Canelo Álvarez. He also cited recent purses paid to other fighters and the overall cost of staging large-scale events.
De La Hoya’s criticism went further than individual payouts. He questioned the sustainability of the entire model, arguing that traditional income streams do not match the level of spending. “Where are they recouping that investment? In ticket sales and pay-per-views,” he said. “The pay-per-views are a tiny fraction of income. No profit, no product.”
From there, his focus shifted to structure and control, with a direct shot at Zuffa Boxing. “Again, the Saudis are 100% fully funding Zuffa,” De La Hoya said, framing the venture as dependent on the same pool of money he believes is being reassessed. He paired that with a warning aimed at fighters entering into long-term agreements. “Fighters, beware, and make sure you read the fine print. You may need to get out of your ZUFA contracts in a few months,” he said, suggesting that any tightening of funding could leave fighters tied to deals that no longer carry the same financial backing.
The final part of his argument moved away from spending and into regulation, where De La Hoya confirmed he plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to oppose proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Act. He framed the issue as a direct threat to fighter protections that have been in place for more than two decades. “It’s been in place for 26 years and has protected fighters,” De La Hoya said. “TKO needs it to change so they can renegotiate and pay you less, just like they do in the UFC.”
By linking those points together, De La Hoya’s message centers on two connected pressures facing the sport. He argues that if outside funding is reduced while regulatory safeguards are weakened, fighters could find themselves exposed on both sides of the business, tied to contracts in a market where the financial backing is no longer guaranteed, and the legal protections have been reduced.
Read the full article here