Oscar De La Hoya apologizes for getting ‘a little carried away’ on Triller Fight Club commentary

Oscar De La Hoya isn’t proud of his recent commentary appearance.

The boxing legend was brought out to provide commentary for the Frank Mir vs. Steve Cunningham bout that took place at Triller Fight Club in Atlanta this past weekend and it was clear to anyone listening that De La Hoya, 48, wasn’t exactly at his most insightful. Fellow Triller commentator Ray Flores told MMA Fighting earlier this week that some wondered if De La Hoya may have been under the influence.

On Thursday, DAZN Boxing released an interview with De La Hoya in which he addressed the controversy and apologized for his demeanor that evening.

“First of all, it’s the Triller effect,” De La Hoya said. “Look, Triller’s doing it huge. They’re combining music, entertainment, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Justin Bieber, and it’s the Triller effect. It’s entertainment and it’s huge, it’s about to do two million homes, it’s trending worldwide. So obviously, I’ve been in beast mode for about six weeks and I got a little into it. I started having a couple of drinks, and then they told me, ‘Hey, why don’t you go and commentate?’ And I was like, ‘Oh man, okay, okay.’

“I got a little carried away and I apologize, but it’s all good. I’m back in beast mode and I’m ready to go. As you know, I’ve been posting pictures and videos of me training, so I’m going to continue that. So it’s on, baby.”

De La Hoya is currently planning a comeback after retiring in 2008. At a Triller press conference in March to promote the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event, De La Hoya announced his plans to compete again and has since shared videos with updates on his training progress.

It is not yet known who will be the opponent for De La Hoya’s comeback, though ONE Championship standout and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has said he is in “serious talks” to fight De La Hoya.

De La Hoya told DAZN that nothing has been signed yet, but he guarantees people will be shocked by who he decides to fight.

“All my career, all my life, I’ve been chasing the best,” De La Hoya said. “I love fighting the best and this is going to be no exception. I don’t know yet, I have an idea, but we’re not locked and loaded yet. We’re very close in locking somebody in, but let’s just say, everybody, the world will be shocked. People are gonna say, ‘Oh, Oscar’s gonna get smashed. He’s gonna get smashed.’”

It’s not yet known whether De La Hoya’s comeback will be a one-off or if he’s planning on going on another run, but either way he’s not concerned about the future of boxing. When it comes to the infamous Paul, who improved to 3-0 as a pro boxer with a first-round TKO of Askren, De La Hoya actually encourages him to stay on the path that he’s on.

“I think he’s a solid fighter who’s just beginning,” De La Hoya said of Paul. “And that’s the thing with media, that’s the thing with being so popular is that it’s kind of like a double-edged sword. You’re making so much noise in the boxing industry, in the entertainment industry, and people are expecting you to fight the very best now. ‘Go after them, go after the very best. If you’re so popular and you think you can fight the best, then go after the best.’

“If he wants longevity in this game—and he knows what he’s doing—he has to just keep it going. Keep the train going until you have a trainwreck with the very best.”