Oscar De La Hoya appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act cleared the U.S. House. The Golden Boy Promotions founder took aim at the Ali Act amendment, expressed regret over selling Ring Magazine, confirmed his new DAZN deal, laid out plans for Ryan Garcia’s next fight, and unloaded on Dana White.

De La Hoya Plans Senate Testimony Against the Ali Act Amendment

H.R. 4624 passed the House by voice vote on Tuesday, advancing TKO-backed legislation that would create Unified Boxing Organizations operating outside the existing Ali Act framework. De La Hoya has been among the bill’s loudest critics, and on Wednesday he sounded alarmed.

“What’s mind-boggling to me is that nobody’s reporting on it, nobody’s talking about it,” De La Hoya told Helwani. “It feels like I’m fighting this fight alone. They’re always sneaky. They had a hearing a couple of days ago where they passed it. It was all under the radar, nobody knew about it. Hopefully, with me showing up and being prepared, talking to the Senate, and hopefully convincing them, it gets derailed.”

He said he has been in conversations with multiple senators and has been invited to Washington in the coming weeks to testify. The bill now sits with the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Ted Cruz, and needs 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

Critics, including De La Hoya, Bob Arum, Evander Holyfield, and the WBC, argue the bill would let TKO replicate the UFC’s closed-league model in boxing. Supporters, including Lonnie Ali, Mike Tyson, and the Association of Boxing Commissions, say it delivers overdue safety standards. Two House members who voted yes, Bobby Scott and Ilhan Omar, still called on the Senate to strengthen anti-monopoly protections before final passage.

Regret Over Selling Ring Magazine

De La Hoya made a rare admission about Ring Magazine, which he sold to Turki Alalshikh in late 2024 for a reported $10 million after 17 years of ownership. He told Helwani he regrets the sale, saying he believed he was handing it to someone who would protect its integrity and acknowledged he was wrong.

He said the Ring rankings have lost all credibility and the championship belt that carried historic weight for a century is effectively in the trash. That is a sharp reversal from 2024, when De La Hoya told Forbes the publication was “in great hands.”

The concern is not new in the industry. Ring Magazine’s ownership now sits within the same financial ecosystem as Zuffa Boxing, which TKO launched as a joint venture with Alalshikh-linked Sela. Critics questioned from the start whether editorial independence could survive that arrangement.

Golden Boy Locks in DAZN Extension

De La Hoya confirmed the multi-year DAZN extension formally announced Tuesday, acknowledging months of uncertainty during which fighters were calling to ask whether dates were coming. He called the deal a relief.

The extension keeps Golden Boy on DAZN, where it has been since 2018. With Top Rank, Matchroom, and Queensberry also on the platform, DAZN now houses every major U.S. promotional outfit except Premier Boxing Champions. Golden Boy’s roster includes WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia, unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez, and contenders Arnold Barboza Jr., William Zepeda, and Floyd Schofield.

Garcia vs. Haney Targeted for July

De La Hoya said he is targeting a Devin Haney rematch for Garcia, calling it the biggest fight available for both men. He pointed to a July timeline in Las Vegas, with T-Mobile Arena or Allegiant Stadium under consideration.

Garcia dropped Haney three times en route to a majority decision in April 2024, but the result was overturned to a no contest after a positive Ostarine test. Since then, Haney has won the WBO welterweight title with a dominant win over Brian Norman Jr., while Garcia rebounded from an upset loss to Rolly Romero by stopping Mario Barrios to capture the WBC welterweight belt in February. Both camps have publicly stated they want the fight, though A-side disputes have slowed negotiations.

The Dana White Salvos

De La Hoya saved his most unfiltered comments for Dana White, dismissing the Zuffa Boxing chief’s credibility on every level.

“He’s a Neanderthal. That’s all he is,” De La Hoya said. “The things he says… he talks so much. He says crap shit. He doesn’t say shit. He just talks. It’s crazy. If you really pay attention, he doesn’t say nothing.”

De La Hoya also pushed back on White’s repeated public jabs about his real estate ventures, calling it a straightforward business decision that White lacks the sophistication to understand. “If you knew business, you would understand, and I’m not going to explain it,” he said, referencing a downtown Los Angeles development. “I’m not gonna explain it because Dana’s full of shit.”

He then turned to White’s long-running habit of bringing up the decades-old lingerie photos, a taunt White has recycled for years. “20 years, 30 years ago. Just please stop with that. That’s all you have,” De La Hoya said, referring to White as “Uncle Fester.” “He probably f***ing watches that picture and probably loves it. That’s why he talks about it so much.”

The personal hostility runs both directions. White told reporters after Zuffa Boxing 03 last month that opposing him in boxing has been “like beating up babies.” But what separates this moment from the usual trash talk is the legislative fight happening behind it. White’s TKO Group Holdings is the engine behind the Ali Act amendment De La Hoya is trying to kill in the Senate. Whether De La Hoya’s testimony carries more weight than TKO’s lobbying operation will determine if his opposition amounts to more than colorful television.