De La Hoya Breaks Silence on Skipping Garcia-Benn Fight

Oscar De La Hoya says he deliberately skipped Ryan Garcia's knockout win over Conor Benn last month because he believed Zuffa Boxing was setting him up to be embarrassed on fight night.

"I wasn't going to show up to be embarrassed," De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV. "It was a Zuffa f***ing event. A 'Zuffa event,' a 'Turki event.' I was not going to show up and be embarrassed, because that's exactly what they were going to do to me. I was not going to do that. So I made the wise decision to not go."

Why De La Hoya Says He Was Set Up

De La Hoya claims he was never given a proper ringside credential for the Golden Boy Promotions and Zuffa Boxing co-promoted card, which would have left him sitting in the crowd rather than positioned as a co-promoter of his own fighter's biggest night. Dana White has publicly denied that account, but De La Hoya isn't backing off.

"Let's just say I'm glad I didn't go because I was going to be set up," De La Hoya said. "You saw Teofimo Lopez, how they didn't allow him in the ring to have a faceoff with Ryan, and embarrassed him not going up there. I'm not going to be embarrassed going to an event where my fighter is participating in."

The tension traces back to De La Hoya's long-running feud with White, which has only intensified since White's expansion into boxing through Zuffa Boxing. De La Hoya suggested showing up would have "created distractions" and turned into "a mess" rather than a celebration of Garcia's win.

Golden Boy Fighters Buried on the Card, De La Hoya Says

De La Hoya argues the disrespect extended beyond him to his own roster. He pointed to Alexis Rocha facing Jose Ramirez in what he says was effectively an early afternoon slot on the card, far from the main action.

"How can you put Alexis Rocha with Ramirez on the second fight of the night? They fought at what, 2 p.m.?" De La Hoya said. "What an embarrassment for the fighters, and how damaging that can be to the fighter's reputation. Putting two world-class fighters in the start of the evening is not professional."

Asked if the placement was intentional, De La Hoya didn't hesitate. "Most likely. Absolutely, I believe so. 'Oh, those are Oscar's fighters, and they're Golden Boy? Let's put them first so nobody will see them.' I'm not born yesterday. I know how this works."

The comments land at a sensitive moment for Golden Boy, with Garcia's current deal reportedly nearing its end and speculation swirling that he could jump to Zuffa Boxing outright. De La Hoya's remarks read as a shot across the bow in that negotiation, a reminder to Garcia and the boxing public that Golden Boy still considers itself the promoter that built him, even as White's operation increasingly controls the biggest stages in the sport.

For bettors, the real story here isn't the fight itself, it's the promotional civil war brewing around boxing's next wave of crossover stars. If Garcia does end up fully under the Zuffa Boxing banner, expect his fights to be built and marketed on White's terms, which has already reshaped how quickly odds move and how fights get made in this new era. Promotional instability like this is also worth watching for fighters like Rocha and Ramirez, whose future card positioning and opponent quality, both of which matter for betting value, could hinge on which side of this rivalry they end up on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't Oscar De La Hoya attend Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn?

Oscar De La Hoya says he skipped the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight because he believed Zuffa Boxing was going to deny him proper credentials and embarrass him as a co-promoter of the event.

What did Oscar De La Hoya say about his other fighters on the Garcia-Benn card?

De La Hoya said Golden Boy fighters Alexis Rocha and Jose Ramirez were placed early on the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn card, which he believes was a deliberate move to bury their fight and limit their exposure.

Did Dana White respond to Oscar De La Hoya's claims?

Dana White has denied Oscar De La Hoya's claim that he was denied a proper ringside credential for the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn event.