Promoter Oscar De La Hoya has had a long rant about Ryan Garcia and young fighters like him who have never achieved anything in the sport, showing disrespect.
(Credit: Golden Boy)
Oscar sounded off about how Ryan (24-2, 20 KOs) confuses fame with elite talent. He points out that there are no shortcuts in boxing to get to the top. He teases De La Hoya that Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) showed him so little respect.
“Enough is enough” moment
Garcia is a special case. He is a hybrid fighter who gained fame due to his social media following. It is clear that he is going downhill as a fighter and will never win a world title.
“It all started with disrespect, you know. You have these young fighters who haven’t won anything, who haven’t done anything in the sport, who might be popular, who might be, you know, who have followers … in the non-boxing space. And you know, enough is enough,” said Oscar De La Hoya. talkSport Boxing.
It doesn’t look like De La Hoya’s situation with Ryan Garcia will end well. His contract is up with Golden Boy, and he will likely move on and take the free agent route like Devin Haney. At this point, it doesn’t look like he’s going to stick with Golden Boy for another stint. Instead of getting upset over that, De La Hoya should focus on fighters who are serious about their careers.
The disrespect line has been crossed
“Including Ryan Garcia. But you know, the disrespect he showed to the sport, to the fans, to himself, is not of an elite athlete. You know, it’s not of a top athlete who really wants to become a legend in the sport,” said De La Hoya
Ryan’s best chance to capture a world title came when he fought then-WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney on April 20, 2024, but he blew that opportunity by missing weight and then testing positive for the PED Ostarine.
It was a huge missed opportunity for Garcia, as he swept the deck with Haney in that fight, dropping him three times in his 12-round majority decision win.
If Ryan had played it right, he would have made weight, tested negative, and been at the top of the sport, one of the most famous boxers worldwide. Instead, he’s on a downward spiral career-wise. Yes, he’s rich, with a net worth of $50 million, but he doesn’t look happy.
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De La Hoya’s issues with Ryan sound more like celebrity therapy, complaining that he’s “belittled. Ryan clearly feels misunderstood and slighted by Oscar’s public comments about him. These are more relationship issues than boxing.
Ryan Garcia stopped being a fighter in the truest sense after he was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission last year for his positive PED test. That suspension took the air out of Ryan’s career. De La Hoya is wasting his time complaining about something he has no control over.
Oscar’s comments are not going to turn Garcia into the dedicated fighter he was earlier in his career when he captured world titles in multiple weight classes. Ryan is not that type of fighter, and he doesn’t have the motivation to become one.
Last updated on 29/10/2025
