"Three rounds, let's do this" - When boxing icon Oscar De La Hoya called out UFC frontman Dana White for a boxing match

When Oscar De La Hoya (left) wanted to fight Dana White (right) in a boxing match [Images courtesy: Getty]

Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya, two prominent promoters of combat sports, appear to have unresolved matters that could perhaps conclude in the boxing arena.

De La Hoya, the founder of Golden Boy Promotions, has achieved significant success by promoting numerous record-breaking boxing matches. It hosted its debut MMA event, featuring retired UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in the headline event.

From the very beginning, the UFC CEO has shown signs of disapproval since the fight's initial publicity campaigns. Given Liddell and Ortiz's age and experience , White was certain that this would be an obvious health risk for both fighters.

White also criticized De La Hoya in an ESPN interview for the sum of money he spent on his undercard opponents in the Liddell-Ortiz 3 bout. He said:

''Total compensation for Oscar's event, was $580,000, right? $450,000 of that went to Chuck and Tito, right? So then, the rest of the card, if you exclude the main event and the co-main event, the rest of his card made $95,000. If you take the UFC, year to date, our fighters make $1.2 million on the undercard."

Check out Dana White's comments below (1:38):

De La Hoya expressed dissatisfaction with White's role in the situation and went on to accuse the UFC of improperly and unfairly handling the fighters' earnings. During an appearance on The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM, De La Hoya challenged White to a three-round boxing match to settle the score.

''Let’s get in the ring. Yeah, why not? Let’s get in the ring. Three rounds, let’s do this. Let’s do this under Canelo Cinco de Mayo. I’ll even give you five months so you can get off the juice and then we can, you know, get in great shape and then we go three rounds.''

Check out Oscar De La Hoya's comments below:

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UFC CEO Dana White isn't interested in rekindling his friendship with Oscar De La Hoya

Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya have been at odds for years. Their dispute intensified considerably in 2018, when the latter chose to start promoting MMA matches, beginning with Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3.

The story between the two promoters, however, took a different turn when the former boxing champion declared he wanted to put this whole thing behind him and issued a formal apology.

In a fan Q&A with GQ Sports, White addressed De La Hoya's apologies. He accepted the promoter's apology but did not want to be friends with him.