Boxing star Ryan Garcia and his promoter, Hall of Fame fighter Oscar De La Hoya, reignited their war of words via Twitter on Thursday in the aftermath of Garcia’s megafight with Gervonta Davis in April, the first loss of Garcia’s career.
There has been on-and-off public acrimony for years between Garcia and De La Hoya — a partnership that began in November 2017 at 18 fights and counting — but it all seemed to wash away when the then-21-year-old signed an extension with Golden Boy Promotions in September 2019.
Garcia referred to the new deal as one of the most lucrative in boxing history for a prospect, and the bad blood appeared to stop then and there.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Garcia said of the new deal at the time. “I’m here today to show everybody that I consider Golden Boy my family and that we’re going to be in this together as I fulfill my dreams. Just like I have all the capabilities to become a big star, Golden Boy has all the tools to get me there.”
But over the years, Garcia and De La Hoya have occasionally traded barbs on Twitter and through the media. Years ago, De La Hoya said in an interview that Garcia, one of boxing’s top stars, wasn’t ready for Gervonta Davis.
And when they finally met in the ring on April 22, Davis floored Garcia in Round 2 and finished him with a body shot in Round 7, the first loss of Garcia’s career.
The fight generated monster business with $22.8 million in gate receipts, making Garcia a wealthy young man. But all wasn’t OK — De La Hoya was missing from the postfight news conference. So, too, was Bernard Hopkins, an executive at Golden Boy.
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez was present, but Garcia’s trainer, Joe Goossen, also wasn’t on hand.
Shortly after the fight, Garcia shook up his corner and parted ways with Goossen, replaced by ESPN’s 2022 trainer of the year, Derrick James.
And now, Garcia is once again going at it with De La Hoya on Twitter:
Can Garcia and De La Hoya resolve their problems again? After the financial windfall that was Davis-Garcia, it’s unlikely money will be the elixir this time around. Garcia is on a quest to win a title at 140 pounds, and hopes that bout comes against Rolando Romero, but first, he’ll have to sort his issues with the Golden Boy.