Oscar De La Hoya's 10-Word Quote About Zuffa Tells You Exactly What's Blocking Ryan Garcia's September Fight

Hold up, fight fans, because things just got REAL for Ryan Garcia and his September plans! You know KingRy wants to get back in the ring, and it sounds like he's eyeing a huge clash with Conor Benn. But Oscar De La Hoya, man, he is not holding back, dropping some serious verbal bombs about Dana White's Zuffa Boxing and throwing a wrench into everything. This is a mess, and it could completely derail one of the most anticipated fights of the year!

The Golden Boy vs. Zuffa Standoff Is Heating Up

So, here's the deal: Ryan Garcia, who just snagged his first world title, the WBC welterweight belt, by beating Mario Barrios on February 21, is apparently champing at the bit to fight in September. And yeah, it really looks like he wants Conor Benn in that squared circle. But if you know anything about the boxing world, you know it's never that simple, right?

Trade on Every Game with Kalshi

Click Here to sign up to Kalshi — Free $10 when you sign up using our link or use code: ONTAPSEA. The only federally regulated prediction market in the US. Trade on real sports outcomes. Available in all 50 states.

De La Hoya, representing Golden Boy, is standing firm. He's saying Garcia has a rock-solid promotional contract with them, and any fight KingRy takes has to be on DAZN. Period. Why is this such a big deal? Because it was rumored that the Garcia-Benn fight, the one Garcia himself said was going down on September 12, was actually going to be a Zuffa Boxing event, airing on Paramount+. Can you believe the audacity?

That's where the drama kicks in. Golden Boy wasn't just gonna sit back and let that happen. They slapped Zuffa with a cease-and-desist! And De La Hoya? He went OFF on DAZN, saying, "The problem that I have with Zuffa is everything they touch, whenever they get involved, it's a big fuckin' problem all the time." He doubled down, making it crystal clear: "Ryan Garcia has a promotional contract with Golden Boy, and Ryan is fighting on DAZN. Zuffa Boxing, all they do is get in the way and make things difficult. The bottom line is, yes, Ryan Garcia wants to fight on September 12th, but he's gonna fight on DAZN." You hear that? That's the sound of a promoter drawing a line in the sand!

History Repeating? What This Means for Garcia's Next Fight

This isn't just some random beef, folks. This goes deep. Remember Conor Benn? He allegedly jumped ship to Zuffa and got paid a cool $15 million to fight a washed-up Regis Prograis on Tyson Fury's April 11 undercard. It shows you what Zuffa is trying to do, trying to muscle their way in.

But let's talk about Ryan Garcia's history with Golden Boy. KingRy (25-2, 20 KO) and Oscar De La Hoya seem to hit a major dispute every two or three years. It's like clockwork! Every single time, Garcia eventually stays with Golden Boy and extends his contract. So, is this just another chapter in their ongoing saga, or is this THE one that finally breaks the mold? De La Hoya himself laid it out: "If the opponent is gonna be Conor Benn, then so be it, but we all have to work together to make the fight happen. There's promoters for a reason, there's contracts for a reason, but again, when Zuffa gets involved, there's always a big problem."

So, what's next? Will these two boxing behemoths actually figure out how to "work together" for the fans, or will Dana White and Zuffa continue to be, as De La Hoya put it, a "big fuckin' problem"? Garcia wants to fight, Benn is out there. The ball is in their court. We'll be watching every single move as September approaches, because this fight has to happen!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.