Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort has turned the promotional dial up to 11 by calling his upcoming bout with Oscar De La Hoya “the biggest fight ever,” predicting it will “sell like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.”
Fight fans were gripped with excitement Thursday when it was announced 44-year-old Belfort will box 48-year-old De La Hoya in an exhibition bout on September 11. Given Belfort’s lofty estimation of the fight’s importance, it wouldn’t be surprising if he claimed it’s the biggest event to ever happen on that date.
Hosted by Triller, the fight will see former six-weight boxing world champion De La Hoya make his comeback after almost 13 years away from the sport. “The Golden Boy” retired in 2008 after losing to Manny Pacquiao, ending his career with a 39-6 record.
For Belfort, it will be his first fight since retiring from MMA in 2018. In his last bout against Lyoto Machida, “The Phenom” was knocked out with a front-kick to the face, in eerily similar fashion to his famous defeat to Anderson Silva. Belfort has boxed professionally only once back in 2006, which ended in a first-round KO win for the Brazilian.
Vitor Belfort Says De La Hoya Fight Is “About Breaking Records”
Belfort’s claim that his bout with De La Hoya will be the “biggest fight ever” is a grand one to make for any boxing match, let alone one featuring two fighters in their mid to late forties. But speaking to TMZ Sports, “The Phenom” explained why—while notably referring to himself in the third person—this fight will echo through the halls of history.
“I believe this fight with me and Oscar, this is the biggest fight ever,” Belfort said (h/t MMAjunkie.com). The reason why is Oscar is a legendary (Olympic) gold medalist, one of the best pound-for-pound that ever lived. He revolutionized the sport. If it wasn’t for Oscar, there wouldn’t be Mayweather. If it wasn’t for Vitor Belfort, Conor McGregor wouldn’t exist. So now the new generation will be educated on who these two guys are from Mexico and Brazil going to America, the land of the dreams. Oscar became an Olympic gold medalist. Vitor became the youngest (UFC) champion ever. This fight is about breaking records.”
In stepping into the world of boxing, Belfort will be looking to proudly represent MMA—a calling for which, in his opinion, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley are undesirable candidates. Belfort recently claimed the duo are the “worst representation of MMA” and that he can “fight all of them in one night.” Belfort was previously set to represent MMA by boxing YouTuber Tarzann in August. The fight has since been canceled.
De La Hoya has also made headlines recently with his failed attempt to fight UFC legend Georges St. Pierre. Dana White swiftly vetoed the bout, which prompted De La Hoya to brand the UFC President a “f**k nut.”
What do you think? Will Belfort vs De La Hoya live up to the “biggest fight ever” claim?
