Oscar De La Hoya, 51, spoke about 50 Cent‘s time as a boxing promoter and claimed he made 50 quit the sport on Shannon Sharpe’s popular talk show Club Shay Shay. Sharpe asked the boxing legend about 50’s involvement with boxing in the past.
“He (50 Cent) tried to get into the promotion business?” Sharpe inquired. “He and Floyd was supposed to try and do something – and then he got licensed in New York, correct?”
Oscar would share that 50 Cent and he promoted a Canelo Alvarez fight in 2017. According to him, 50’s fighter, James Kirkland, losing to Canelo led to the mogul quitting boxing.
“We did business together actually,” clarified De La Hoya. “Canelo fought Kirkland. 50 Cent had just signed Kirkland to a promotional contract. We had a fight together. Canelo knocked him out and that was the end of 50’s promotional career [laughs].”
As the conversation continued, De La Hoya claimed that 50 Cent was trying to sign Floyd Mayweather, who had a contract with Oscar’s Golden Boy boxing promotions. “He was trying to do something with Floyd and then Floyd just got bigger than 50 or something,” said Oscar. “Egos got in the way and you know how that goes. The only business deal I’ve ever made with 50, Canelo knocked them out and that was the end.”
A huge boxing fan, 50 Cent has often spoken about his time in the boxing business. He helped launch Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team promotions before launching his own boxing promotional company, SMS Promotions, in 2012. SMS Promotions filed for bankruptcy in 2015 after signing boxing stars Yuriorkis Gamboa, Andrew Dirrell, Billy Dib, and Celestino Caballero.
In the years after his boxing, 50 Cent transformed into the film and television mogul we know today. This year, he opened a G-Unit film studio in Shreveport, Louisiana, and hosted the Humor & Harmony Festival.Dave Chappelle, DaBaby, Katt Williams, and others performed during the four-day festival.