Canelo sues Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions

The sorted soap opera between four division World Champion, Canelo Alvarez,, his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, and the DAZN streaming service finally has boiled over Tuesday and it’s  apparently to the “point of no return.”

This after Alvarez filed suit in US District Court in Southern California  to break his contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s boxing promotion and DAZN.

The 24-page lawsuit requests the court to immediately hear his case that his contract with Golden Boy and their deal with DAZN has irreparably harmed him and kept him from consistently fighting over the last two years.

Alvarez asked the court for at least $280 million, or what is still roughly the balance of his original 11-fight $335 million deal with DAZN signed in 2018. That part of the court filing says,

Despite Alvarez’ successes, both DAZN and Golden Boy have broken the promises they made to each other, Alvarez, and boxing fans; in doing so Defendants have breached their respective contracts and caused Alvarez damages of – at least – $280 million.

Alvarez, (53-1-2, 36 KOs) hired the Maloney Firm from El Segundo, California, and is being represented by Attorneys Gregory Smith and Patrick Maloney, according to the filing of the suit.

The suit has 10 complaints including allegations of:  breach of contract, intentional interference with contract, negligent interference with contract, fraud – concealment, breach of fiduciary duty and seeking of declaratory relief (judge to intervene).

During one part of the filing, the 30 year old Alvarez alleges that De La Hoya and DAZN had secretly negotiated new terms for approving Alvarez’s fights/opponents that they’re now imposing. That is to say, that DAZN has the right to reject Alvarez’s fights, if they don’t think they’re meaningful or important enough for the guaranteed payout to him.

That reads in part,

“…Alvarez’ opponents “be mutually selected by [Alvarez] and [Golden Boy Promotions], subject to [Alvarez’] final approval, not to be unreasonably withheld.” Notably, the Alvarez Contract did not mention that DAZN would have any right to accept or reject any opponents selected by Alvarez.”

Alvarez makes clear that he never agreed to that kind of stipulation in his promotional deal with De La Hoya and further, he would never have allowed the streaming service or Golden Boy  to be able to dictate which type of opponents he had to fight.

The suit also makes clear that DAZN was trying to force Alvarez to fight former Undisputed Middleweight champion, Gennady Golovkin, for a third time. But, Alvarez continues to maintain, now in the legal filing, that he has every right to rebuff that third fight. 

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