Oscar De La Hoya called Keith Thurman “over the hill” while explaining why Golden Boy is discussing him as Vergil Ortiz Jr.’s next opponent. That is a rough way to sell a fight, especially when the explanation ends with the promoter apologizing for being involved.

“Keith Thurman, yes, he’s a good fighter. He’s not the great fighter he was before. He’s over the hill,” De La Hoya told AB Boxing News in Chicago.

De La Hoya described Thurman as “almost like the only choice” for Ortiz, pointing to his name and experience. He also said Ortiz has been out for a year and could use the fight to get back into the groove.

That explains what Golden Boy hopes Ortiz gets from the matchup. It does considerably less for anyone being asked to watch it.

Thurman’s name is the selling point, but De La Hoya openly acknowledges that the fighter attached to it has faded. The proposed bout sounds like a comeback exercise for Ortiz dressed up with an opponent people remember from better days.

“I know the fight is not one of those championship-level, you know, undefeated versus undefeated,” De La Hoya said. “It’s not a fighter who is in his prime. I know what the situation is, but it is what it is.”

Ortiz needing rounds after a long absence is a reasonable argument. Whether Thurman can provide the kind of work that prepares him for stronger opposition is another question. Beating a recognizable veteran does not automatically tell us how ready Ortiz is for the division’s best.

De La Hoya’s claim that Thurman was the only available fight also needs more explanation. He did not name the other opponents considered or explain what prevented those bouts.

“I’m sorry to be part of it, but the Vergil Ortiz–Keith Thurman fight, if it happens, it’s the only fight that was available,” he said.

The fight remains under discussion. Already, its own promoter sounds resigned to it. If Golden Boy moves ahead, selling Thurman as a serious threat will be difficult after De La Hoya has supplied the argument against him.

With a few weeks to go until the event, the full undercard for Canelo Alvarez‘s clash with Christian Mbilli has finally been revealed.

Canelo hasn’t been back in the ring since he lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown against Terence Crawford in September 2025.

The Mexican superstar will now look to reclaim world honours when he challenges Mbilli for his WBC super-middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31, though there are current concerns over the card due to the ongoing security issues in the region.

As of now it is still set to go ahead as planned, and the event will feature three more world title fights after the remaining bouts on the bill were revealed, with all of them tying in with the ‘Mexico vs The World’ theme that the show is featuring.

In the co-main event, Canelo’s stablemate Jaime Munguia is set to defend his WBA super-middleweight title against Nikita Zon, though his mandatory Bektemir Melikuziev has hit out and claimed he has not agreed to step aside to allow the bout to go ahead.

Elsewhere, Rafael Espinoza defends his WBO featherweight title against Lorenzo Parra, while a vacant IBF super-lightweight title bout sees Lindolfo Delgado meet Artur Biyarslanov. Two super bantamweight stars will also be in action as David Picasso squares off with Carl Martin.

Rounding up the card, Reito Tsutsumi takes on Raymundo Rojas, Sultan Al-Mohammad meets Erick Villegas, Bek Nurmaganbet collides with Marcos Vazquez, Carlos Emiliano goes up against Flavius ​​Biea and Bryan Leon faces Hector Aguirre.

Despite the promotion continuing, there have been concerns that the card is in jeopardy due to the escalating Houthi–Saudi conflict.

Deontay Wilder may return to the ring in 2026 according to a recent report.

The former WBC heavyweight world champion was last in action in April when he beat Derek Chisora by split decision – just the second points win of his career, the other 43 victories coming by way of knockout.

The performance allowed the hard-hitting American to show a grit and desire that perhaps hadn’t been witnessed since his trilogy with Tyson Fury, and was particularly absent in losses to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker, in which he looked tentative and gun-shy.

Despite being strongly linked with former undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk as the Ukrainian’s final opponent before retirement, it appears that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could now build on that Chisora win by facing Jai Opetaia on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua this December, as reported by Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger.

The Cardiff mega fight will be broadcast live on Netflix, and those behind the scenes are understood to be building a card that will attract a global audience. Manny Pacquiao, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Keyshawn Davis have all been named as potential additions.

Like Wilder, Opetaia has recently been linked with a major fight of his own. The two-time cruiserweight champion has made no secret of his desire to fight David Benavidezwho may have three of the four major belts if he beats Mikael Cieslak in December.

This fight would see the Aussie move up to heavyweight for the first time in his career – a jump he has always said will happen, but only after his work is done at 200lbs. With Wilder being a relatively light heavyweight – weighing in as low as 212lbs for his first fight against Fury – it may be a perfect introduction to the division for Opetaia, though he will be aware that the American can hit harder than most of his contemporaries.