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Oscar De La Hoya Reveals He Nearly Started A Social Influencers-Themed Fight Promotion And Had A Brand Name Ready
Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oscar De La Hoya Reveals He Nearly Started A Social Influencers-Themed Fight Promotion And Had A Brand Name Ready

Originally posted on Ringside Intel  |  By Jason Burgos  |  Last updated 5/1/24

With social media influencers making boxing another outlet to grow their brands, Oscar De La Hoya revealed recently that he seriously considered creating a separate fight promotion with a roster full of influencers and well-aged pugilists.

When Logan Paul and Jake Paul decided to expand their brand from YouTube and social media to the world of boxing, most inside the fight game scoffed at the idea. However, this niche part of boxing has grown since then and now Jake has a promotion of his own and is set to face boxing icon Mike Tyson in a fight that will be inside the stadium that houses the Dallas Cowboys.

Furthermore, Floyd Mayweather has created another niche for exhibition bouts for pure entertainment to make more money off his legion of fans, and the 2020 fight between Tyson and fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. was one of the most successful fights of this decade. The unique place influencers and old fighters that still want to compete are now undeniable.

However, before the influencer boxing game reached the heights it is currently at, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya revealed during a recent chat with Sportnaut that he was close to making an entire promotion for influencer fighters and actually had an old-school brand he was going to reuse as the name of the company.

Oscar De La Hoya almost created an influencer boxing promotion called ‘KO Entertainment’

Cris Esqueda/ Golden Boy Promotions

“I did consider it after the Tyson vs. Jones fight on Triller,” De La Hoya said. “I own a brand called KO — it was KO Magazine. It hasn’t been in circulation for over 20 years now, but I own it and it was one of the most popular magazines for boxing around the world. So I thought to myself, why don’t I revive that brand and call it KO Entertainment?

“I was going to start doing all these influencer fights but then I thought to myself, I am a purist. I’m going to stick to what I know, I’m going to stick to what I love,” he recalled. “I’m going to stick to old-school boxing and try to make the best fights happen. That’s exactly what boxing needs. I don’t knock these influencers fighting. More power to you and do what you want to do but boxing needs help and it needs me to make these big fights happen.”

It shows what kind of impact these fighters have made in the sport, that one of the most powerful promoters in the industry actually thought about getting into that part of the business to mine its unusual potential.

This article first appeared on Ringside Intel and was syndicated with permission.

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