White Denies Banning De La Hoya From Garcia-Benn Card

Dana White is denying he had anything to do with Oscar De La Hoya's absence from the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn card, shooting down speculation that he banned the Golden Boy Promotions boss from Saturday's Zuffa Boxing event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Garcia dominated Benn in the main event, and De La Hoya, who still holds Garcia's promotional contract through Golden Boy, was nowhere in the building. That absence stood out given the card marked the biggest crossover yet between Zuffa Boxing and Golden Boy, and it quickly fueled chatter that White had frozen out a longtime rival.

White shut that down at the post-fight press conference. "I do not like De La Hoya, and De La Hoya does not like me," White said. "I would never disrespect him and say, 'Oh, if he shows up here, treat him like st.' I would call him on the phone and say, 'Hey, don't fking show up to this event because we're not going to treat you well.' That was not the case. Why he didn't show up, I don't know."

Why Wasn't Oscar De La Hoya at Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn?

The reason for Oscar De La Hoya's no-show remains unclear even to Dana White himself, who said he only heard rumblings about the situation before addressing it publicly. The feud between White and De La Hoya is long-standing and well known throughout boxing, and the two now find themselves tied together commercially since Zuffa Boxing co-promoted the Garcia-Benn card alongside Golden Boy. That arrangement was always going to be tested on fight night, and De La Hoya simply not being there let both sides avoid the awkward optics of a face-to-face.

Garcia said he expected his promoter to show up. "I thought he was gonna be here," Garcia said. "They told me he had a seat. I actually invited him to walk out with me, I thought that was gonna be iconic. Everybody was asking me where he was then to have him walk out with me I think would have been special, but it is what it is."

What This Means for Garcia's Future With Golden Boy

Ryan Garcia has just one fight left on his Golden Boy contract, and the timing makes the De La Hoya no-show notable beyond a single night. Garcia is coming off arguably the best win of his career, a lopsided beatdown of Conor Benn on the sport's biggest Zuffa Boxing stage to date, the kind of performance that typically has a promoter front and center celebrating with his fighter. Instead, De La Hoya sat it out, and Garcia's own comments suggest he expected otherwise. With the contract nearly up and White expanding his footprint in boxing through Zuffa, how De La Hoya and Golden Boy handle Garcia's final fight will say plenty about where that relationship stands.

For bettors tracking Garcia going forward, the business side matters as much as the boxing. A fighter entering the last fight of his promotional deal, fresh off a statement win and with a rival promotion actively expanding, is exactly the kind of situation that tends to produce fast-moving news on where and against whom he fights next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why wasn't Oscar De La Hoya at the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight?

The reason for Oscar De La Hoya's absence from the Sept. 12, 2026 Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn card was not made clear, and even Dana White said he did not know why De La Hoya didn't attend.

Did Dana White ban Oscar De La Hoya from the Zuffa Boxing event?

No. Dana White denied banning Oscar De La Hoya, saying at the post-fight press conference that he would have called De La Hoya directly rather than embarrass him at the event.

Who won the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight?

Ryan Garcia defeated Conor Benn on Sept. 12, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in what was called one of the biggest wins of Garcia's career.