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Dana White, De La Hoya and Top Reactions to Canelo Álvarez Fight, UFC 306 on Same Day

Joseph Zucker

Oscar De La Hoya made his preference known with UFC 306 sharing a Sept. 14 date with Canelo Álvarez's return to the ring against Edgar Berlanga.

"We're a week away from the boxing match that nobody asked for, and the UFC event that everyone will be watching," De La Hoya said in an Instagram video (via Danny Segura of MMA Junkie). "Canelo is fighting Berlanga, another snoozefest. They're trying to sell a pay-per-view for $90 and $500 minimum to watch in person, it's just robbery at this point to pay for another lame Canelo fight that always goes the distance against a subpar opponent."

The boxing legend said he'll be traveling to Las Vegas for UFC 306, a decision he argued should speak volumes given his passion for boxing.

UFC president Dana White made it clear the company isn't rolling out the red carpet for De La Hoya.

"I don't know where he's getting his tickets from," White said to Grind City Media's John Morgan. "... It's him trying to s--t on Canelo. I said it a million times, I respect Canelo. I like Canelo. Met him. He's a nice guy."

Canelo announced in July he'll oppose Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena on the same night UFC will house a major show across Las Vegas at the Sphere.

White directed his ire specifically at MGM Resorts International, which owns a share of T-Mobile Arena.

"Canelo's one of those guys that I respect and hey, good on [PBC's Al] Haymon," he said to ESPN's Mike Coppinger. "Haymon snatched that date right away from me. The guys at MGM have done nothing but f--king disrespect me and the UFC for 20 years. It is what it is. Here we go."

Álvarez expressed confidence in his own drawing power as he faces stiff commercial competition.

"It's just different," he told reporters in August. "Maybe other boxing matches, maybe, but Canelo is different. There are other kind of fights, but Canelo is just different. I don't care if the UFC is there, when Canelo fights, it's different."

The decorated pugilist might be overestimating how much he alone can drive interest in a show.

Berlanga caught the eye of boxing fans with 16 straight first-round knockouts to begin his pro career. His stock has steadily declined, though, as he reeled off less impressive wins against more formidable foes.

"There's nothing to suggest Berlanga, ESPN's No. 6 super middleweight, will present any issues for Álvarez inside the ring," Coppinger bluntly wrote in July.

UFC is countering with Sean O'Malley's bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili and Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women's flyweight gold.

Grasso is relishing the opportunity to compete concurrently with her compatriot, Álvarez.

"For me, honestly, this is really cool," she said. "I've been a big fan of Canelo. We are from the same city, he's from Guadalajara too. I've been watching his whole career and he's a big role model for athletes in Mexico, especially combat sports."

As much as Grasso respects Canelo, she'd probably like to get one over on him in terms of UFC 306 proving to be a bigger spectacle than Álvarez vs. Berlanga.

   

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