Oscar De La Hoya has launched a fierce attack on Zuffa Boxing, accusing Dana White’s new venture of misleading Jai Opetaia about his path toward undisputed status.
During a lengthy online rant, the Golden Boy promoter suggested Opetaia may have been led to believe a path to unifying the cruiserweight titles remained open.
“They’ve probably signed Opetaia and told his entire team, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll let you unify,’” De La Hoya said. “And of course it wasn’t going to happen.”
The former six-division world champion claimed the Australian cruiserweight ultimately found himself fighting for a new belt while the recognized cruiserweight titles he hoped to unify slipped out of reach.
“Instead of fighting for a belt that he loves, Jai was stuck fighting for absolutely nothing against a guy who had zero championship experience,” De La Hoya added.
De La Hoya vs Zuffa
The outspoken promoter went further in his criticism, warning fighters to think carefully before signing with the new boxing operation backed by TKO Group Holdings.
“You sign with Zuffa and you’ll be tricked into a bunch of s*** just like Jai Opetaia was,” De La Hoya claimed during the tirade.
He also mocked the promotion’s attempt to introduce its own championship structure, insisting most fighters remain focused on boxing’s established belts.
“Every fighter wants to be undisputed,” he said. “Nobody wants the piece of s*** Zuffa belt they’re trying to push on us.”
The comments represent one of the strongest public attacks yet on Zuffa’s entry into the sport from one of boxing’s established promoters.
Jai Opetaia Situation
The controversy surrounding Opetaia’s title status has been unfolding since his March 8 bout with Brandon Glanton in Las Vegas.
As previously reported by World Boxing News, the International Boxing Federation later confirmed the cruiserweight title situation remained under review following the fight.
The governing body revealed Opetaia’s actions during fight week had raised questions internally about whether the champion was fully advised of the consequences before committing to the contest.
“Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that have led the organization’s leadership to question whether he was made completely and fully aware by his advisors of the decisions he needed to make,” the IBF said in a statement emailed directly to World Boxing News.
The development followed earlier reporting from WBN examining the champion’s position during fight week. The federation began reviewing whether the cruiserweight star fully understood the implications of the bout.
IBF Title Defiance
Opetaia entered the contest carrying his IBF belt and repeatedly spoke about his ambition of becoming undisputed champion.
However, once the contest went ahead without IBF sanction, the federation’s rules placed the title in jeopardy — leaving the Australian with Zuffa’s inaugural cruiserweight belt while his position within the traditional championship structure remained uncertain.
The situation had already sparked debate during the broadcast itself, when Max Kellerman suggested Opetaia could be viewed as “undisputed” despite the traditional cruiserweight titles remaining with other champions.
As WBN stated, the champion himself reiterated his goal remains collecting the recognized belts.
The episode has quickly become one of the first major flashpoints in Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport, with tensions emerging between the new venture and the sport’s established sanctioning bodies and promoters.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
