Oscar De La Hoya has identified 17-year-old prospect Dylan Capetillo as boxing’s next major Mexican-American star. The promoter believes Capetillo holds a distinct cultural edge over Ryan Garcia, citing language connection and ring performances as crucial factors for long-term appeal.
During his own fighting career, De La Hoya established himself as the premier attraction of Hispanic heritage, regularly generating massive pay-per-view buy rates and arena gates. He now aims to build a successor capable of inheriting that status as Canelo Alvarez continues his career. While Alvarez remains the leading face of Mexican boxing, he did not feature on the traditional Cinco de Mayo weekend this year, opening space for emerging names.
Currently, Garcia and David Benavidez represent the highest-profile figures of Mexican-American heritage in the sport. However, De La Hoya highlighted that Garcia’s limited Spanish fluency presents a challenge when attempting to connect fully with the broad Mexican-American audience. Discussing Garcia’s future, De La Hoya stated: “[Garcia can be the next Mexican-American star] if he wants to. It’s all about performances inside the ring; it’s all about winning world titles; it’s all about who you fight.”
The promoter stressed that long-term connection with fans requires clear commitment off the canvas as well as victory within it. De La Hoya added: “And you obviously have to make the effort and speak [Spanish] – you have to care. Can he be ‘the one’? Absolutely. But I truly feel ‘the one’ is [Capetillo].”
Capetillo’s development forms part of a deliberate sequence by Golden Boy Promotions.
The 17-year-old prospect has won both of his professional fights to date, including one knockout. He makes his third appearance this weekend on the undercard of the lightweight fight between William Zepeda and Lamont Roach. Meanwhile, Garcia prepares for a bout against Conor Benn on 12 September, as Alvarez’s contest with WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli faces scheduling updates.
