Copyright Athlon Sports
For years, the partnership between Ryan Garcia and Golden Boy Promotions, led by Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, was touted as a match made in boxing heaven. De La Hoya mentored the young, social media-savvy prodigy from a highly-touted prospect into a mainstream star and world champion. Together, they navigated his rapid rise through the lightweight ranks, capitalizing on his electrifying speed and power to build a massive fanbase. However, after Garcia suffered losses in the ring and faced controversy outside the ring, what was once a promising alliance built on mutual success has dramatically and publicly unraveled, with their professional relationship now soured. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Oscar De La Hoya addressed the ongoing turmoil with his star fighter, Ryan Garcia, calling his behavior unacceptable and inexcusable. “I think Ryan needs to wake up,” De La Hoya stated. “I understand the whole mental health thing — it’s a serious thing, it really is. I know people who are really mentally ill, but there’s a line. There’s a fine line where you’re just being a f—ing asshole.” These comments mark a significant escalation in the war of words, moving past promotional disputes into deeply personal territory. De La Hoya’s statement prompted Garcia to write a fiery response on social media. “Common denominator in all his falling outs is everyone stating he has a problem. He actively promotes against the people he’s promoting,” Garcia wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “All the best man, continue wearing the thongs and stating everyone does it, we all stopped caring about what you have to say a long time ago.” The relationship between Garcia and Golden Boy Promotions has been contentious for years now. This latest exchange is not an isolated incident but part of a long public feud that involved lawsuits, public accusations, and back-and-forth spats on social media. Back in 2023, Garcia’s legal team sent a demand letter alleging violations of his promotional agreement with Golden Boy, which led to the promoter filing a lawsuit to enforce its contract. The disputes have involved claims over broadcast rights and contractual terms, paralleling past conflicts that De La Hoya’s promotion had with other star fighters like Canelo Alvarez. Outside of the legal realm, Garcia has also accused De La Hoya of disrespectful behavior and antagonizing himself as well as other star fighters. In an interview with The Ring Magazine back in August, Garcia claimed, “You saw what happened with him and Canelo Alvarez. He causes a division in people, and he doesn’t know how to keep a good relationship. He likes to air people’s business and do things that a promoter shouldn’t. He’s always been coming at me. There’s always riff-raff.” This comment from Garcia was in response to De La Hoya posting a screenshot of their text messages in which Garcia curses him out: Despite the harsh words, De La Hoya revealed to Helwani that Golden Boy is still promoting Garcia, saying, “Yea I still promote him, and I still wish him the very best and do the best job I can do to grow his career.” De La Hoya was answering Helwani, but his response was worded as if he was talking directly to Garcia. “I’m not your enemy. I’m your promoter. I don’t know what people are whispering in your ear. But I’ve treated you with respect, I’ve treated you like my own kid,” he said. “On a silver platter I’ve given you your career.” He ended his thoughts on Garcia, saying, “I’m not going to leave a fighter out in the cold, it’s not in my nature. But then again, there’s a fine line with being a jerk, and claiming or saying you have mental issues. It’s a fine line.”
