Despite the lopsided beatdown of Conor Benn, Ryan Garcia was forced to go on the defensive after reports of his promoter Oscar De La Hoya‘s absence at the event began to surface. Garcia briefly addressed the issue at the post-fight press conference before the story turned into a clash between two opposing accounts on social media.
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The situation, which overshadowed Garcia’s performance, also fed into De La Hoya’s long-standing feud with Dana White, whose Zuffa Boxing organized the event at T-Mobile Arena yesterday. The welterweight champion spoke out once again when a fresh perspective emerged.
Garcia’s tweet read. Garcia tweeted “This is true” in response to Jane Murcia, GBP’s Director of Communications, who revealed the real story.
Murcia shared that Garcia had actually invited De La Hoya and Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez to walk him out to the ring. It seems De La Hoya also teased the move as a “big surprise” on his Instagram. However, the plans changed on the morning of the fight.
According to Murcia, a member of Garcia’s team informed Golden Boy Promotions that, after having second thoughts about De La Hoya and Chavez accompanying him, Garcia had settled on another Mexican boxing icon, Marco Antonio Barrera, and WWE Latino star Rey Mysterio to join him for the ring walk.
In a separate post, veteran boxing journalist Abraham Gonzalez suggested that it was Garcia’s manager, Lupe Valencia, who made the call to Golden Boy Promotions.
This is true
Golden Boy says this is not true and that Ryan Garcia cancelled on Oscar‼️
Murcia offered the clarification after Garcia’s post-fight statement seemingly suggested that Oscar De La Hoya was not interested in attending the event.
“They told me he had a seat and I was going to walk out with him. I thought that’d be iconic. Everybody was asking where (De La Hoya) was (all fight week), and him walking out would be special. It is what it is. I’m here just to do my job,” Garcia had stated.
Beyond the confusion between the fighter and his promotion, the controversy surrounding De La Hoya’s absence centered on reports that the former world champion-turned-promoter was actually “denied” entry to the venue.
Eminent boxing journalist Dan Rafael wrote, “I am told Zuffa denied him a credential.” In a subsequent tweet, he outlined what Murcia confirmed about Garcia’s team reaching out to Golden Boy Promotions regarding the new walk-out plan involving Barrera and Mysterio.
But Rafael reiterated, “Oscar & other GB personnel were denied credentials even though they had a prelim fight & are Garcia’s promoters. Oscar watched the fight from his home in Vegas.”
Oscar De La Hoya’s no-show at Ryan Garcia’s event opens the door to conflicting accounts
Those comments stand in contrast to what Dana White mentioned at the press conference. While acknowledging his dislike for De La Hoya, the Zuffa head made it clear that the Golden Boy was not denied entry at the event. “Why he didn’t show up I don’t know,” White said.
At this point, it’s difficult to determine which side is correct. What is clear, however, is that De La Hoya was not present as his star fighter secured one of the biggest wins of his career.
The controversy once again draws attention to the long-running feud between De La Hoya and White. Once friends, the two promoters eventually drifted apart and became bitter rivals. Neither has passed an opportunity to take a shot at the other.
The tension escalated further after White officially entered boxing with Zuffa.
Severely critical of White, De La Hoya even went to Washington to speak against the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which is backed by TKO, the company that owns the UFC and WWE.
The situation, however, became more complicated after White succeeded in making the fight between his fighter Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia.
After a cease-and-desist letter aimed to prevent White and Zuffa from entering negotiations with Garcia, De La Hoya was left with the co-promoter’s role. His influence was limited to the point that he was not even present at the press conference to kick off the fight between the two welterweights.
While disappointed, De La Hoya, in an interview with Ariel Helwani, revealed that he was “looking forward to being part of it (the event).”
The controversy, meanwhile, is not entirely unprecedented.
Back in 2023, De La Hoya was not there when Garcia took on Gervonta “Tank” Davis. His partner, Bernard Hopkins, attended the event, which incidentally took place at the T-Mobile Arena. Offering an explanation, De La Hoya later revealed that he missed the show following advice from his security team.
Meanwhile, Dana White has faced a similar controversy. Two years ago, Jake Paul claimed that he was banned from the UFC. Reportedly, he disguised himself to attend UFC 306. However, as in the latest instance, White rejected Paul’s claim, saying the YouTuber-turned-fighter was free to attend UFC events.
With the fight against Benn now over, GBP’s contract with Garcia has only one fight left, adding another dimension to the situation. That leaves a big question: is the Garcia-De La Hoya journey finally coming to an end, and will the suggested Cinco de Mayo appearance be their final one?