Oscar De La Hoya Warns Saudi Boxing Money Is "Drying Up"

in Scathing Clapback Thursday Rant Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya sounded the alarm this week, claiming the flow of Saudi Arabian investment into professional boxing is slowing dramatically. Speaking on his latest “Clapback Thursday” segment, De La Hoya warned that the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is retreating from high-cost sports ventures, and that the consequences could hit fighters hard. De La Hoya pointed to LIV Golf as the clearest warning sign, arguing the PIF is now cutting its losses on the controversial league. "It seems the Saudi money is drying up," he stated, framing the golf reassessment as a mirror for boxing's unsustainable economics. According to the Golden Boy promoter, Saudi-backed entities have burned through at least a billion dollars in the sport over two years with minimal return. He singled out the reported $100 million guarantee for Canelo Álvarez as a prime example of a model where ticket sales and pay-per-view revenue are a "tiny fraction of income." The math, he insisted, simply does not work. The most urgent warning, however, was aimed directly at fighters linked to Zuffa Boxing. De La Hoya claimed the promotion is "100% fully funded" by Saudi money and cautioned that the cash could vanish within months. He urged boxers to "read the fine print," suggesting they could soon find themselves trapped in long-term contracts backed by nothing. De La Hoya also announced he will travel to Washington, D.C., to personally oppose proposed changes to the Muhammad Ali Act — amendments he says are being pushed by TKO Group Holdings to strip away fighter protections while the financial ground shifts beneath the sport. Photo credit: Oscar De La Hoya / Facebook

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