Oscar De La Hoya has launched a scathing attack on The Ring, declaring the historic brand “dead” as controversy intensifies over its alignment with Zuffa Boxing.
“You’re hearing it here first, The Ring brand is dead with Zuffa Boxing tied to its ball sack drowning at the bottom of the lake with Max Kellerman’s career,” De La Hoya said, accusing The Ring of straying from the principles that built its century-long reputation.
At the heart of De La Hoya’s criticism is the March bout between Opetaia and Brandon Glanton, which will reportedly be contested for both the Zuffa world title and The Ring belt. “For the past 100 years, if you fought for the Ring belt, it was always the number one guy and the number two guy,” De La Hoya stated. “Now Jai Opetaia is fighting in March for the Zuffa world title belt and the Ring belt, against Brandon Glanton, who is number 15 in the world?”
While De La Hoya cited Glanton as No. 15, The Ring’s published rankings currently list him at No. 11. He is ranked No. 17 by BoxRec and No. 8 by the WBC, but of course regardless of the exact position, the matchup is not a No. 1 vs. No. 2 contest .
De La Hoya, himself a former owner of The Ring, framed the issue as one that goes beyond promoter rivalry. The debate now centers on whether the standards that once distinguished The Ring belt from sanctioning body titles remain intact under its Zuffa partnership - or whether, as some argue, that distinction is beginning to erode.
Image Credit: Sky Sports