Ryan Garcia says he does not respect Oscar De La Hoya’s decision to stay away from Saturday night’s title defense, a much colder verdict than the one he gave a few hours after the fight.
Garcia told Ariel Helwani that a seat was held for his promoter at T-Mobile Arena and that De La Hoya simply never used it.
https://x.com/arielhelwani/status/2099575434598097205I’ll say this, I wish Oscar was there. I wish he walked out with me, and I wish he would have been ringside no matter what. That would have shown his love for me, the way that I imagined somebody that’s been with me the whole time. They did have a seat for you, and you didn’t take that seat. For me, I don’t respect that, and that disappointed me. I don’t know why he’s like that. He just doesn’t wanna show up for the people he’s supposed to love.
At the post-fight press conference, Garcia had been careful about it. He said he thought De La Hoya would be there, that he was told a seat had been arranged, and that having his promoter walk him out would have been iconic. Then he moved on with a shrug about doing his job.
The Credential Dispute Still Has No Answer
Dan Rafael reported during the broadcast that Zuffa Boxing denied De La Hoya a credential. Dana White rejected that at the post-fight press conference, saying the two men dislike each other but that he would have picked up a phone and told De La Hoya not to come rather than have him turned away at the door. De La Hoya has still not publicly explained where he was.
Golden Boy’s own account cuts against the version Garcia is telling now. Communications director Jane Murcia said Garcia invited De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez to walk him out, then changed his mind, with manager Lupe Valencia calling Golden Boy to say Marco Antonio Barrera and Rey Mysterio would take those spots instead. Garcia replied “This is true” to that post on X.
One Fight Left On The Deal
The timing is what gives this weight. Garcia has one bout remaining on his Golden Boy contract, and White said after the card that he has already had a short conversation with him about fighting under the Zuffa banner. Garcia and De La Hoya have not agreed on when that deal actually expires, which leaves the last fight of a nine-year partnership hanging over a promoter who was not in the building for the biggest night of it.
Garcia dropped Conor Benn with a right hand and forced a stoppage at 1:25 of the second round, the first defense of the WBC welterweight title he took from Mario Barrios in February. He spent his post-fight interview calling WBA champion Teofimo Lopez out of his ringside seat for a unification fight, and said Benn cost himself the fight by coming forward recklessly.
