Ryan Garcia-Golden Boy rift hovers over comeback fight on Saturday
Ryan Garcia has two fights on his hands.
One is a scheduled 140-pound bout with Oscar Duarte on Saturday in Houston, which will be streamed on DAZN. The other is with his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, with which he has been at odds off and on the past several years.
The latter fight took a bizarre turn Thursday at the final news conference to promote Saturday’s event, when Garcia accused Oscar De La Hoya and Co. of backing Duarte.
The latest tribulations started when Golden Boy partner Bernard Hopkins said he would “make my personal decision on whether [Garcia] should fight again” after he meets Duarte.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) is coming off a seventh-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in April, the first setback of the 25-year-old’s career. And that followed a 15-month layoff in 2021 and last year to focus on his mental health.
He took a shot at Hopkins at the news conference.
“He don’t decide that,” Garcia said. “My coach does, my team does, everybody that grinds with me day in and day out. That’s who decides.”
Garcia initially responded to Hopkins’ comments on social media. De La Hoya, Golden Boy chairman, suggested then that Garcia should focus on his training and not a misinterpretation of what Hopkins said.
Garcia addressed that at the news conference.
“Oscar saying that, you know, we misinterpret what they say,” Garcia said. “It’s plain English. I didn’t hear anybody speaking any language I don’t know. So, you know, it’s very clear to me that, you know, they’re backing [Duarte] to beat me, just like they thought [Romero] Duno was going to beat me. He was the next Filipino star. They say [Duarte is] the next Mexican star.”
De La Hoya said on social media after the news conference that he’s worried about Garcia’s state of mind, suggesting the fighter isn’t focused on Duarte. The Hall of Famer deleted the item. And Garcia has yet to respond.
The friction between Garcia and his handlers had never been so public but it’s nothing new.
In 2019 Garcia had expressed dissatisfaction with the size of his purses given his massive following on social media. Then, when he refused to face Duno – a late replacement opponent for Avery Sparrow, who had been arrested – the relationship deteriorated further.
Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said on social media that Garcia turned down the fight because Duno was “too tough,” per ESPN. Garcia exploded on social media.
“My promoter acted in a very unprofessional manner, saying things that were false about me,” Garcia said. “I’m a fighter and not afraid to fight anyone!!! My team tried tirelessly to negotiate a fair purse amount to save the show, but my promoter has shown little interest in my career.
“I promise I tried for my fans. But like all things in life, I’m staying positive and will come back soon.”
Garcia also took exception to De La Hoya’s assertion that Vergil Ortiz was the organization’s top fighter, not Garcia.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Garcia signed a five-year contract extension in September 2019, which was described by Golden Boy as “one of the most lucrative deals in history for a boxing prospect.”
That apparently means that the contract will end next September, less than a year from now. No one will be surprised if a divorce takes place then.