Oscar De La Hoya Lashes Out at Zuffa Boxing, Dana White, and Jai Opetaia

Boxing legend calls for Australian cruiserweight to "wake up before they ruin your career"

Mar. 13, 2026 at 12:05am

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Oscar De La Hoya has launched a scathing tirade against Zuffa Boxing, its president Dana White, and Australian boxer Jai Opetaia. De La Hoya criticized Zuffa's new cruiserweight title as a "participation trophy" and accused the promotion of misleading Opetaia about his ability to unify titles. De La Hoya warned Opetaia to "wake up before they ruin your career" and get out of his deal with Zuffa.

Why it matters

This outburst from the influential De La Hoya highlights the growing tensions and power struggles within the boxing world, as new promotions like Zuffa attempt to establish themselves against more traditional players like Golden Boy Promotions. Opetaia's situation illustrates the risks fighters can face when caught in the middle of these promotional disputes.

The details

Opetaia recently won Zuffa Boxing's inaugural cruiserweight title, but that victory could cost him his IBF world championship at 200 pounds. The IBF withdrew its sanction of Opetaia's fight, saying the Zuffa title must be considered a "trophy or token of recognition" rather than a true world title. Opetaia has launched legal action to try to retain his IBF belt and unify the cruiserweight titles. De La Hoya accused Zuffa of misleading Opetaia about his ability to unify the titles, and claimed Opetaia's opponent, Brandon Glanton, was "a plant" by The Ring magazine, which is now owned by a Zuffa backer.

  • Opetaia won the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title on Sunday, March 12, 2026.
  • Days before the fight, the IBF announced it was withdrawing its sanction and Opetaia would be stripped of his IBF world title if the Zuffa fight went ahead.

The players

Oscar De La Hoya

A former six-division world champion boxer who now heads up Golden Boy Promotions, a major boxing promotional company.

Jai Opetaia

A 30-year-old Australian cruiserweight boxer who recently won the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight title, but is facing the potential loss of his IBF world title.

Dana White

The president of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, which has recently launched a new boxing promotion called Zuffa Boxing.

Brandon Glanton

Opetaia's opponent in the Zuffa cruiserweight title fight, who De La Hoya claims was "a plant" by The Ring magazine, which is now owned by a Zuffa backer.

Turki Alalshikh

The owner of The Ring magazine, which is now funded by Zuffa Boxing.

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What they’re saying

“We all know the Zuffa belt is like a participation trophy given to a nine-year old at the end of a soccer game. It has the significance of a hemorrhoid on my f***in' ass.”

— Oscar De La Hoya (Instagram)

“Zuffa lied to everyone. The entire time, and poor Jai Opetaia suffered because of it.”

— Oscar De La Hoya (Instagram)

“Jai, wake up before they ruin your career, brother. Fester [Dana White] is using you as a tool in all of this. Get the f*** out of there...”

— Oscar De La Hoya (Instagram)

What’s next

Opetaia has launched legal action in an attempt to retain his IBF world title and keep his hopes of becoming undisputed cruiserweight champion alive. The outcome of that legal battle will be a key next step in this ongoing saga.

The takeaway

This dispute highlights the complex power dynamics and competing interests within the boxing world, as new promotions like Zuffa try to establish themselves against more traditional players. Fighters like Opetaia can get caught in the middle, risking their careers and titles in the process, underscoring the need for greater transparency and alignment between promoters, sanctioning bodies, and fighters.