Oscar De La Hoya’s face said it all on Thursday as the chaos continued at the second Haney vs. Garcia press conference in Los Angeles.
The Golden Boy promoter painted a picture of what it must have been like to be involved in an unfathomably shambolic few days for Pay Per View boxing.
Tuesday was bad enough with accusations of Garcia being drunk and mud-slinging on both sides. However, Wednesday was a trainwreck that was only topped by the next day.
Garcia had taken to Instagram live to smoke cannabis and admit to drinking during the tour week. World Boxing News reported that the fight was under threat as Haney threatened to boycott the press conference due to Garcia’s behavior.
Oscar De La Hoya watches Haney vs Garcia chaos
The WBC super lightweight did show up and show out at the Los Angeles leg, but his opponent roundly overshadowed him. Garcia trotted through the streets of Hollywood on a white horse to make his entrance as the boxing world rubbed its eyes in disbelief.
Not to stop there, Garcia then had acrobats and circus performers lead him into the press conference in a cringy move that didn’t capture anyone’s imagination.
What the aged veteran on PPVs, De La Hoya, must have thought of it all is anyone’s guess. But his face said it all as the pair went head-to-head at the end.
De La Hoya discussed the event: “Welcome to the fight of the year! For years, their days as decorated amateur champions saw them rise up the ladder of the professional ranks. Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia have been circling one another.
“They fought six times in the amateurs, with both of them winning three apiece. Now, they meet with championship gold. They have the chance to be the face of American boxing. In other words, this one counts!”
Bernard Hopkins added: “So now that we are here, a lot of us gotta be mindful when we ask for something because what you ask for, you might not want when you get it.
“These two young fighters are now two young men. They are not kids. You’ve got to understand that to be great. You must do great things and fight the best in the division. That’s what Golden Boy’s set out to do.”
Judging by the press tour, more headlining-making days will follow. The pair will eventually trade blows on April 20, all being well before then.
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