Oscar De La Hoya has publicly declared that any proposed fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn cannot move forward without the direct involvement of Golden Boy Promotions. Following reports linking Garcia to a September 12 bout with Benn, De La Hoya stated his company, which holds a contract with Garcia, has been completely bypassed in negotiations.
In a video statement, the promoter claimed that while a two-fight deal exists with Saudi Arabian officials, they have not followed proper channels. He said: “I have yet to be approached about making this fight. We signed a two-fight deal for Ryan with the Saudis last year. The first fight was with Barrios, and apparently the Saudis have chosen Conor Benn to be Ryan’s next opponent.”
This sets up a significant conflict between the established American promoter and Turki Alalshikh, who has reshaped the sport’s power structure. De La Hoya issued a direct warning about the legal realities of promoting in the United States, arguing that his contract with Garcia is legally enforceable. “There are contracts in place. You can’t just do whatever you want here in America. There are laws and legally binding contracts,” he said. “Turki and Salah, you can’t call up any fighter you want and make a fight. You can’t put fights on any network you want.”
De La Hoya also suggested that the choice of Benn as an opponent is linked to Alalshikh’s other business ventures. He claimed: “But because Turki owns Zuffa and wants to help them out, he picked Conor Benn. But whatever, that’s fine. You can’t just make fights without Golden Boy.”
He further attacked the commercial viability of Zuffa’s boxing events in the U.S., framing Garcia as a necessary star to rescue a struggling platform. “I know Paramount wants the Ryan fight on their network because their regular Zuffa fights do a few thousand views,” De La Hoya said. “I can’t imagine how disappointed Paramount is.”
The dispute places Ryan Garcia’s next career move in jeopardy. With his promoter and powerful Saudi backers at odds, any fight announcement remains unofficial. The situation now hinges on whether Alalshikh attempts to proceed without Golden Boy’s consent, potentially triggering a legal battle that could sideline one of boxing’s most popular fighters.
