By: Sean Crose
I’m not suing him for money, he’s not suing me for money. So Golden Boy Promotions honoree Oscar De La Hoya said so on Wednesday when interviewed on Time MMA. “I just want him to honor my contract. That’s it.” De La Hoya is talking about his former protégé, Ryan Garcia, with whom he is currently engaged in a legal battle. You have an obligation, don’t you? I want you to fight. I want you to be a legend.”
As De La Hoya sees it, he’s looking for the famous Ryan Garcia, despite what Garcia, who feels the Golden Boy promotion is derelict in his quest, might believe. “Do you think I want him to fight Tank Davis on rehydration terms?” he asked rhetorically. “Oh my god no. I’m looking for him, but he has people whispering in his ear. “Oh, Oscar sucks. Go with another promoter who will take care of you more. You’ll make more money.” To De La Hoya, such whispers are meaningless.
“Guess what?” De La Hoya asked rhetorically. “Ryan just made over $30 million. I’m not doing anything wrong here. I’m trying to create a legend. Who better than me to guide your career, to turn you into a superstar boxer that everyone will respect. But all these whispers, man, all these whispers.” In the end, however, De La Hoya showed he was willing to do it all.
“Look,” he said, “I’m an advertiser, and I’ll be a promoter until I’m Bob Arum’s age…I love sports. I love boxing. It gave me everything I had. I hate it, but I love it. And fighters come and go. However, De La Hoya also made it clear that he is open to working with Garcia again. “Yes,” he said, “for sure. I still have a few years left on this contract.”
De La Hoya is a busy man at the moment. In addition to the legal friction between him and Garcia, he is also the subject of an upcoming documentary on HBO. “If you are a fan,” he tweeted on Tuesday, “a hater, a lost soul or just a happy and learning individual, a Doctor. About my life will premiere on HBO Max on the 24th and 25th of this month. Tell me all the nonsense you say about me is nothing compared to what I’ve lived.”
