Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya insists that the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight last May was a “dud,” and he sees it working for the upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto bout in November later this year.

“I think it had a positive affect for the career of Saul, for this fight, because people are anxiously waiting for a real fight,” De La Hoya stated to boxingscene.com. “People are very disappointed [with Mayweather-Pacquiao], it was a dud, no doubt about it. It was the dullest fight I've probably seen in the last I don't know how many years.”

The “Fight of the Century” between Mayweather and Pacquiao broke all-time records in gate revenue and pay-per-view (PPV) numbers, but the bout warranted negative reactions both from boxing fans and critics for its lack of action and excitement.

Meanwhile, the Canelo-Cotto fight, which is set on Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, is expected to be an action-packed affair due to the attack style of both fighters plus the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico angle of the fight.

De La Hoya, a former pro who has won the middleweight and junior middleweight titles in his career, is the founder of Golden Boy Promotions, which signed Alvarez to a multi-fight and multi-year deal earlier in 2015.

De La Hoya is one of the few fighters that have faced both Mayweather and Pacquiao during his career. The Mexican-American lost to Mayweather via a 12-round split decision in 2007 and to Pacquiao via an 8th round knockout in 2008.

The Canelo-Cotto fight, which is for the World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight belt, is pegged to be the biggest match-up in boxing since the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and is expected to garner respectable numbers both in the gates and PPV.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES