LAS VEGAS — Promoter Oscar De La Hoya threw the first punch at the pride of Canelo Álvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) after a cordial news conference with rival Jaime Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) in Beverly Hills .

"Yesterday's press conference was boring, like Canelo's fights," De la Hoya posted on X a day after the March news conference.

Immediately after, in an interview with L.A. Times en Español, Álvarez responded by calling De La Hoya a promoter who only "says stupid things."

On Wednesday in Las Vegas, the two had another intense round of insults, in an event that was anything but boring.

While the rivalry can be comical at times, full of Álvarez's bilingual insults toward one of boxing's most controversial characters, it is what this Cinco de Mayo weekend fight needed. Álvarez will face an undefeated former champion from Tijuana, Munguia, who says little and has only shown respect for his prizefighter opponent when discussing the super middleweight contest this Saturday (5 p.m., DAZN PPV, PPV.com) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Álvarez and De La Hoya spat helped a fight that lacked spice because of Munguia's deep respect for Canelo. To be fair, Munguia has always been respectful of his opponents and is not known for talking out of turn. However, he has promised that respect will not be reflected when it comes time to step into the ring, becoming the first Mexican opponent Álvarez will face since he defeated Julio César Chávez Jr. in 2017.

De La Hoya provoked Álvarez by demanding respect for his company, noting he represented Álvarez from 2010-20. He also mentioned that Álvarez failed two drug tests in 2018, a strategy Canelo's rivals have used in the past to upset him.

De La Hoya, an Olympic medalist and 10-time world champion in six different divisions, is known for lobbing insults, but the challenge he issued to Álvarez was unique.

"He seems to have trouble remembering who helped him become a true world star. To be clear, I have nothing but respect for Canelo Álvarez as a boxer. His record and skills speak for themselves, but he has spent much of the last two months insulting me, instead of promoting this fight," De La Hoya said when it came time to step up to the podium.

"The company you've fought under for decades has always had a name, and it's mine."

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