Oscar De La Hoya is on the path to losing his next superstar after his relationship with Ryan Garcia followed Canelo Alvarez into toxicity.
Former pound-for-pound king Canelo publicly left Golden Boy Promotions after his tenure turned sour in 2020. This included press conference spats and bad blood.
The same is happening with Garcia in what looks to be an inevitable parting of ways as soon as the contracts allow.
It all began with Bernard Hopkins, part GBP owner, commenting on Garcia’s mental state during the build-up.
He told Fight Hub TV: “I will see how Ryan looks and then make my personal decision on whether he should fight again.”
B-Hop later added after Garcia responded: “There’s one thing about this sport that I love, and that’s why I talk so passionately about it, and some take it wrong, and I don’t care.
“We are not in the business of kissing fighter’s a**es.”
Oscar De La Hoya, Ryan Garica, and Bernard Hopkins relationship goes toxic
Garcia then went full scorched earth on the pair during an interview with Brian Custer, where things only got worse as fight week for the Oscar Duarte bout progressed.
The super lightweight contender told Custer on The Last Stand: “What does he mean, ‘I’ll make the decision? – He isn’t going to make s***.
“The crazy thing is I’m going to box my a** off for a team that doesn’t believe in me. But damn, they’ll collect that money that I’m making them.
“They collect that six million, but you don’t know if I should box again? But you made that money off that [Davis] fight, though. Yeah, shut up.”
“King Ry” then warned the pair of boxing legends before the relationship collapsed entirely at the final press conference.
“Watch, when I win, I’m going to look at them, ‘Bro, don’t even mess with me.’ Don’t even mess with me. I’m so sharp right now.
“Salty ex”
“I have no worries that I will look great, amazing. They’ll be like a salty ex, like, ‘f—, I wish I stayed with him. I wish I were nice to him. Why didn’t I speak better to him?
“Please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, come back, baby, come back’—shut up!”
In front of the world’s media, Hopkins warned Garcia that karma would follow him. He said: “Boxing will always call you bluff,” as he looked directly at Garcia.
The boxer responded: “Bernard said he’d never lose to a white boy, then Joe Smith Jr knocked him out of the ring.”
He later added in a DAZN interview: “It’s like a toxic relationship. They want to keep me there. It’s because I’m that hot. It’s like, ‘I don’t wanna let her go, she’s so hot.’ That’s how it is.”
Golden Boy tied Garcia down to a new contract in 2022, just before landing him the Gervonta Davis fight. They claim that the Pay Per View sold over one million purchases and made Garcia $30 million.
However, two months later, Garcia looked to back out of the deal, leading to legal action on both sides. It would seemingly be a miracle if they made it past another year together.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer of over thirteen years and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
