If you want a timestamp for when UFC President Dana White began to loathe Oscar De La Hoya, it began with what De La Hoya said in this article five years ago, and it was still going strong when De La Hoya himself mixed the "two different sports" by later trying to fight MMA fighters.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 26, 2017, 10:58 PM]
Headline: Oscar De La Hoya: 'Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is a Disrespect to Boxing'
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Oscar De La Hoya is not a fan of the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather talks.
The boxing Hall of Famer and current promoter through Golden Boy Promotions has heard ramblings of a mega-fight between "Notorious" and "Money." De La Hoya certainly knows a thing or two about the sweet science. He has won multiple world championships in the sport of boxing.
De La Hoya doesn't have much faith in McGregor's chances in a boxing match with Mayweather. At the same time, he doesn't believe Mayweather would fare any better in a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) contest against the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight titleholder.
Canelo Alvarez, who fights under Golden Boy Promotions, has had some beef with McGregor. He recently said a boxing match-up between McGregor and Mayweather is a "joke" for the sport of boxing.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's ATF radio show, De La Hoya shared the same opinion:
Well I do. It's a disrespect to boxing because they're two different sports. I mean look, put Floyd and McGregor in the ring and Floyd will box his ears off. Put Floyd in the Octagon and McGregor will submit him by twisting his toe or something. You know what I'm saying? It's a whole different sport.