Oscar De La Hoya has questioned the general consensus that Canelo Alvarez is a Mexican boxing legend following his unanimous decision victory over Christian Mbilli.

The 36-year-old reclaimed his WBC title last Saturday, having lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown in his previous outing, against Terence Crawfordin September 2025.

Following that defeat, many wondered whether Canelo could succeed again at world level but, sure enough, he did just that by dethroning Mbilli.

Not only did he claim a convincing points victory, but the Mexican contained Mbilli’s aggression and controlled the majority of their contest with superior technical and defensive skills.

This, however, was not quite enough to satisfy his former promoter, De La Hoya, who has suggested that Canelo’s low punch output made for a largely tedious affair.

As per his semi-regular social media series, Clapback Thursdaythe Hall of Famer also undermined Canelo’s widely-accepted legacy as a Mexican great.

“I’m so f**king tired of 100 punches [being] thrown in a fight with no action whatsoever, and I know the fans are over it.

“We all miss those days of [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales [and] Julio Cesar Chavez – that’s what Mexican boxing is known for.

“Canelo, do you try to proclaim you’re the best Mexican fighter ever? You couldn’t hold Chavez’ jockstrap. And I can name 10 other Mexican fighters who are way better boxers than you are. And they didn’t sell-out to fight in front of 15 people in Saudi Arabia.”

In fairness, Canelo has never proclaimed to be the greatest Mexican fighter in history, though most would argue he deserves to be considered in an all-time top 10.

A formal press release was issued today announcing the December 19 welterweight title unification between Devin Haney and Liam Paro at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and in anticipation of the meeting with a co-feature of Brian Norman vs Abel RamosHaney shared his excitement for what he expects to be another successful outing to snag some more hardware.

“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said. “I’ve never been afraid to go into a champion’s backyard and put my record on the line. I went to Australia, took George Kambosos’ belts, and became undisputed lightweight champion of the world. Now I’m bringing another Australian world champion, Liam Paro, into my backyard. This time, I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home.
“Oakland is where my story started, and the Bay Area has always been part of who I am. The Valkyries just brought a championship to Chase Center, and on December 19, I plan to keep that championship energy going.

“I made history in Australia. Now it’s time to make history at home.”

Paro, however hopes to upset the odds, knowing he’ll be coming into this fight as a decided underdog.

“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis,” Paro said. “I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it’s here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard.

“I’ve never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people. Devin’s a great fighter and I respect that. But I’ve been the underdog plenty of times and I’ve made history before. December 19, I’m coming to unify the division and make more history.”

With the WBO and IBF welterweight world titles on the line, one fight will be heading into the new year halfway to undisputed.

Liam Paro served as supporting cast the last time Devin Haney headlined at Chase Center. Come December 19, he walks into San Francisco carrying the IBF welterweight title, gunning to strip Haney of his WBO strap.

Three years transformed Paro from an undercard face into a headline attraction. He watched Haney shut out Regis Prograis from the locker room in December 2023. Now he commands the marquee, even if getting US fight fans to open their wallets on pay-per-view presents an uphill battle.

“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis. I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it is here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard. I have never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people,” Paro stated.

The Australian proved his mettle by snatching the 140-pound crown from Subriel Matias on hostile soil. Richardson Hitchins took it right back six months later, checking Paro’s momentum before mainstream crowds took notice.

The jump to 147 pounds provided the reboot he needed. Three straight wins, capped by a gritty points victory over Lewis Crocker to claim the IBF strap, set the stage for this encounter.

Haney ends a lengthy layoff on home turf. Sitting out more than twelve months makes asking fans to purchase a DAZN PPV against a fighter unknown to mainstream viewers a tough sell. Belts by themselves rarely move the needle at the box office.

Brian Norman Jr. takes on Abel Ramos in the ten-round co-feature. Norman dropped his WBO belt to Haney last November and must now accept undercard placement on his conqueror’s bill.

Paro earned his position the hard way. December 19 decides if his punch output can upset the hometown favorite or if Haney cruises behind his jab.