Canelo Alvarez files lawsuit against DAZN, Oscar De La Hoya, seeks $280M in damages

Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez filed a lawsuit against streaming service DAZN, and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

The lawsuit, launched in a Los Angeles Federal Court, alleges Canelo’s multi-fight deal with DAZN was breached to the tune of $280 million in damages, according to court docs obtained by Mike Coppinger of The Athletic.

BREAKING: Canelo Alvarez filed suit vs. Oscar De La Hoya, GBP & DAZN today in Los Angeles Federal Court, a copy of which @TheAthletic obtained.

“I’m not scared of any opponent in the ring, and I’m not going to let failures of my broadcaster or promotors keep me out of the ring”

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 9, 2020

“I’m the pound-for-pound No. 1 in the world,” Canelo, a 30-year-old native of Mexico, said in a statement to The Athletic. “I’m not scared of any opponent in the ring, and I’m not going to let failures of my broadcaster or promoters keep me out of the ring. I filed the lawsuit so I can get back to boxing and give my fans the show they deserve.”

Canelo signed with DAZN in 2018, agreeing to a a five-year, 10-fight deal with a staggering $350M price tag. While he has fought three times since signing that deal, first knocking out Rocky Fielding, then defeating Daniel Jacobs by decision, and most recently knocking out Sergey Kovalev, things recently went sour.

The trouble began during negotiations for a proposed September 12 fight for Canelo. According to Coppinger, DAZN was unable to find the boxer a high-profile opponent for that date, and reportedly asked him to accept approximately half of $35M he should have made for the fight.

Fights with Gennady Golovkin, Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders were all seemingly on the table at one point, but neither DAZN nor De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions could lock down a worthy foe for the Mexican star.

Stay tuned for updates on this new lawsuit involving Canelo Alvarez, DAZN and Oscar De La Hoya as new details emerge.