Oscar De La Hoya, a hospitalized man, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He will not be able fight Vitor Belfort, former champion of the UFC on Sept. 11, in a Triller Fight Club (PPV).
The Hall of Fame boxer will compete in the first time since Manny Pacquiao's December 2008 TKO defeat.
De La Hoya, who claims he has been vaccinated for the virus, posted a short video on Twitter Friday that briefly describes his experience with it.
I wanted to let you know that I contracted Covid despite having been fully vaccinated. This means that I will not be able fight next weekend. The last few months have been a great experience. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me prepare for my comeback. pic.twitter.com/0wKEnr5Jzv Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) September 3, 2021
Ryan Kavanaugh, Triller's trainer, told ESPN that Evander Hollyfield had agreed to fight Belfort. Holyfield, 58, has not fought since his 2011 TKO win over Brian Nielsen.
Kavanaugh stated that the contracts require pro-fight rules to be contested over eight rounds of two-minute each. De La Hoya Belfort was originally scheduled to be held at Staples Center, Los Angeles (where De La Hoya was raised and still resides), but Triller plans on holding Holyfield-Belfort in Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida sources said to ESPN.
Sources told ESPN's Marc Raimondi that Holyfield-Belfort was not sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission.
Kavanaugh stated that heavyweight fights are always exciting and that this fight is between two true warriors. Oscar is a champion and a fighter, so we wish him a speedy recovery. We know he will fight it and win. We are looking forward to seeing Oscar in the ring for the anniversary of Fight Club's founding.
Triller Fight Club was launched in November with the Mike Tyson - Roy Jones Jr. exhibition, which was a commercial success. Kavanaugh stated that they are currently looking for opponents to De La Hoya in order to fight on Thanksgiving weekend.
Kavanaugh stated that the entire undercard, which includes the David Haye-Joe Fournier Exhibition bout, will be moved to Florida.
Holyfield, 44-10-2, 29KOs is one of the most renowned heavyweight boxers. He has two victories over Mike Tyson, and one victory over George Foreman. The Atlanta native is well-known for his fighting spirit and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all times. Holyfield was signed to face Kevin McBride via Triller Fight Club in January, but McBride's health issues forced the bout to be scrapped. McBride (48) was deemed a plus-6 boxer on the Boxing Severity Index. This is a high-risk fighter.
Belfort (44 years old) will box for the second consecutive time in his professional career. In 2006, Belfort made his pro-boxing debut with a first-round knockout in Brazil.
Brazilian is a former UFC lightweight champion and holds a black belt under Carlson Gracie in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Belfort also holds a black belt from judo. He is known for his explosive power and tied for third in UFC history for finishing with 14. Belfort's third UFC run ended in 2018 when he lost to LyotoMachida at UFC 224.
