Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya has shared private messages from podcasting giant Joe Rogan, revealing an apology and potentially ending their long-standing feud.
De La Hoya posted screenshots on his Instagram Story showing direct messages from Rogan, who appears to be extending an olive branch after years of tension between the two personalities.
“I’ve talked about you many times on the show, and I wish the conversation had steered more to you fighting, of which I was a huge fan,” Rogan wrote in the message. He added, “We were talking sh*t. And in response to the older text I missed, sure, I’d love to have you on my podcast.”
The apology comes after Rogan had previously made comments about De La Hoya’s appearance, including references to “fishnets and fake abs” that clearly didn’t sit well with the Olympic gold medalist.
In his response, De La Hoya acknowledged the apology while expressing frustration about how his contributions to boxing have been overlooked.
“Look, bro, thank you for the apology and respect. But there’s no reason to bring up fishnets and fake abs. There’s so much good I’m doing in the sport, and you all ignore it,” De La Hoya replied.
Despite his grievances, the boxing legend accepted the invitation to appear on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” one of the world’s most-streamed podcasts, saying, “Let’s make history.”
De La Hoya, who has been steadily building his own media presence with his show “Thursday Clap Back,” even proposed a headline-grabbing episode that would include UFC President Dana White, with whom he has a well-documented rivalry.
“Let me propose something [and] this will be the highest-rated show you’ll ever do. Have me and your daddy, Dana, on the podcast together. You can moderate the podcast, so two against one. And I’m fine with that because I’m an open book,” De La Hoya suggested.
The boxing champion had previously implied that his absence from Rogan’s show might have been due to pressure from White, saying he was disappointed about never receiving an invitation despite the podcast’s regular focus on boxing and MMA.
If the appearance does materialize, fans could be in for an entertaining and potentially explosive episode featuring two of combat sports’ most outspoken personalities finally clearing the air after years of public jabs.
