De La Hoya Welcomes Garcia And Mayweather’s Interactions – ‘That’s Awesome’
Oscar De La Hoya has welcomed Ryan Garcia’s interactions with Floyd Mayweather.
Garcia was seen in Mayweather’s company on two occasions. The first was at a shopping mall when Mayweather named Garcia one of the three biggest stars in boxing alongside Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis. They were also seen going on a late-night run, increasing speculation that Garcia could sign with PBC.
It is no secret that Garcia’s relationship with De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions is at an all-time low. Garcia alleged his contract had been breached, after which De La Hoya responded by urging him to honor it. That was followed by an outburst against De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins as Garcia hit back in the pre-fight presser for his Oscar Duarte fight.
That has now been accompanied by Garcia’s decision to withdraw from talks with Devin Haney in favor of facing Rolando Romero. That suggests Mayweather may have had a bearing on Garcia’s future, but De La Hoya has welcomed any input he was getting.
De La Hoya On Garcia
“That’s awesome. Look, I always praise a fighter, a young fighter who wants to soak up all that information from a legend, from an icon. So when I saw Ryan running with Floyd, I was like yeah, ask him questions about defense, about you know. If Ryan wants to go with Floyd, and not to me, so be it, it’s great. Because that’s another legend. Different styles but another legend. So it’s all information that these young fighters are soaking in, which is great,” De La Hoya said
Nevertheless, that decision has not gone down well with some in the boxing community. The decision to face Romero instead of Haney has been seen as Garcia ducking a big fight. That had been the narrative surrounding Mayweather, who had been accused of not taking fights against boxers in their prime. Instead, there was a suggestion that he would wait for the highest purse for the least risk.
But since Garcia has already lost to a big name in the form of Gervonta Davis, facing Haney would only make sense if it was for another big purse. His loss to Tank Davis still earned him $30 million. So, facing Romero to get the WBA junior welterweight belt and then a potentially bigger fight with Haney for a unification is the move. Either way, Garcia had nothing but respect for Mayweather, who has taken him under his wing.
Garcia On Mayweather
“Floyd is mentoring me, And I love and respect him, he is so authentic so stop judging him,” Garcia wrote. Judging a book by its cover will stop you from reading but Derrick James is my coach, and I love him too,” Garcia stated
Garcia is facing a crucial 2024, but there is the potential for it to be his best year. If he does secure the Romero fight and come out with a world title, he can put himself in the conversation for the biggest fights due to his strong commercial power.
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