UFC supremo Dana White takes a shot at Oscar De La Hoya’s battles with drug addiction

UFC president Dana White has taken a shot at Oscar De La Hoya’s battle with drug addiction when asked about his return to boxing.

The former six weight world champion announced his plan to return to the boxing ring earlier this week after more than a decade of retirement.

The 47-year-old’s last fight was a defeat to Manny Pacquiao back in December 2008, but he now appears to be following the trend of veteran fighters such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr of making a comeback. 

However, despite his retirement De La Hoya’s long-standing rivalry with UFC president White remains, with their relationship said to have deteriorated from friends to rivals due to the latter’s involvement in the world of boxing.

And when asked about De La Hoya’s return to the ring, White brutally and bluntly fanned the flames again by having a pop at his rival’s struggle with addiction. 

‘Cocaine isn’t cheap. It’s expensive. You’ve got to make money,’ White said during Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight news conference.

De La Hoya has previously admitted to being addicted to cocaine and alcohol.

White’s comments come nearly a year after he labelled De La Hoya ‘a scumbag, a liar and a complete moron’ in October 2019, while also calling him ‘a total f****** nutbag’ in another interview in June.

De La Hoya enjoyed an illustrious career in the ring winning 11 world titles across six weight classes in a career that spanned from 1992 to 2008.

Since then, he has teased a return to the ring on several occasions but confirmed on Thursday that he would be back in training soon. 

‘The rumours are true,’ De La Hoya said, ‘and I’m going to start training in the next few weeks.’

Details about when or against whom De La Hoya could have his comeback fight are yet to have been announced.