Former interim WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia came face-to-face against his upcoming opponent Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo recently in Los Angeles, kicking off their exhibition fight on 30th December in Tokyo Japan, part of Rizin Decade. However, Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, promptly threw a wrench in his plans.

The former world champion turned promoter hopped on social media to remind Garcia that the fight won’t happen without his permission since Garcia is contractually obligated to make Golden Boy Promotions a part of the dealings for the upcoming bout. It appears the ‘Golden Boy’ has made further comments on the matter while appearing in his popular segment. 

Addressing Garcia’s press conference on Tuesday and his absence during his ‘Clapback Thursdays’ segment, the  51-year-old promoter said, “I was not there because Ryan’s team thought they could negotiate this deal behind my back.” He even asserted that he holds the global rights to every fight involving Ryan Garcia, insisting that without his involvement, the fight wouldn’t take place.

However, tensions escalated when Oscar threatened to sue his boxer if he failed to adhere to the terms of their contract. “When you sign a contract, it means it’s legally binding. This means you must abide by the terms or risk getting sued. Which is what we unfortunately have to do if Golden Boy is not included in this fight,” he said. 

Oscar suggested that he wants the fight to happen, as long as Garcia abides by the rules of their contract. He later hopped on his Instagram story to suggest that his post was taken down due to mass reporting. Regardless, now, Matchroom Boxing honcho Eddie Hearn has shared his two cents on the matter. 

Speaking to Fight Hub TV recently, Hearn said, “I don’t know the business inside out. I don’t know their contracts. But obviously, if he’s contracted to Golden Boy and they’re not involved, that can cause a problem, even though it’s not a real fight.” Hearn, who has a wealth of experience as a promoter himself, suggested the situation could be really messy.

However, he wasn’t worried about it. What he was really bothered about was “next year when [Garcia] returns.” Notably, Garcia’s one-year suspension from boxing, due to positive ostarine tests during the Devin Haney fight, is set to end on April 20th. So, Hearn hopes Garcia “gets himself in order because he’s got a big future in the sport.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia has responded to Oscar’s claims on ‘Clapback Thursdays.’

Ryan Garcia refutes claims from promoter Oscar De La Hoya

The relationship between Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya has been rocky in the past. After Garcia suffered his first career defeat at the hands of Gervonta Davis last year, the boxer-promoter duo started a feud, which spilled over during a press conference for Garcia’s fight against Oscar Duarte late last year. 

The duo has already filed lawsuits against each other, but in more recent times, they seemed to have put aside their differences. However, after Oscar’s recent claims, a new rift is starting to form between them. Reacting to Oscar’s clip, Garcia commented on his post, “I think I need to drop a clap back as wellllll 👏👏👏👏.”

“You said it was okay while I was at your offices with no objections 👏👏👏👏.” ‘King Ry’ alleged that Golden Boy president Eric Gomez was fully aware of the exhibition, and claimed Gomez was glad the exhibition was happening. “[Oscar] even was invited to the eventttttttt,” Garcia alleged, suggesting his absence was his own choice. 

That said, Eddie Hearn doesn’t seem too bothered about the growing dispute between Ryan Garcia and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Meanwhile, the future of Garcia’s exhibition hangs in the balance. Do you think the fight will happen? Or is all this just a PR stunt?