Oscar De La Hoya and Vitor Belfort have agreed to fight.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Boxing legend meets MMA legend when Oscar De La Hoya fights former UFC champion Vitor Belfort in an exhibition bout hosted by Triller. This surprise pairing was first reported by The Athletic on Thursday afternoon. The initially reported date for the event was September 18, but it has since been confirmed that the fight will take place on September 11.
Both De La Hoya and Belfort have made headlines recently. Among the stories made by the unpredictable De La Hoya was his failed attempt at fighting another UFC legend, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre. Being that St-Pierre is still under contract with the UFC, that idea was swiftly vetoed by UFC President Dana White, a decision that prompted an enraged outburst from De La Hoya. It now appears that De La Hoya is moving on to his plan B, someone else who is an all-time great in the annals of MMA history, Vitor Belfort.
Vitor Belfort made headlines yesterday for criticizing Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren as MMA representatives in the world of boxing regarding their connection to YouTuber Jake Paul. With Paul already defeating Askren and now booked to fight Woodley in August, Belfort was critical of both men’s fighting acumen. “The Phenom” will have a chance to show them how it’s done when he takes on De La Hoya this September.
Belfort was also been booked to fight a YouTuber himself by the name of “The Real Tarzann” in a fight scheduled for August 14. That fight has now been canceled.
This exhibition bout is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters have agreed for the bout to take place with 12-ounce gloves. This will be De La Hoya’s first fight in over 12 years, with his most recent boxing match being a loss against Manny Pacquaio in 2008. As for Belfort, he last competed in 2018 in a losing effort against fellow Brazilian legend Lyoto Machida.
Will you be watching this clash between cross-sport legends Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort this September?
