SUMMARY
- Oscar De La Hoya recently took to Instagram to bash his former rival Floyd, accusing him of influencing boxer Ryan Garcia's decision to back out against Devin Haney.
- In the post, Oscar mentioned that Garcia was interested and up to go against Haney earlier.
Former professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya makes news for calling out one of the all-time greats, Floyd Mayweather. Oscar is currently a boxing promoter and manages events for Elite Boxers. De La Hoya recently took to Instagram to bash his former rival Floyd. He accused him of influencing boxer Ryan Garcia’s decision to back out against Devin Haney.
In the post, Oscar De La Hoya mentioned that Garcia was interested and up to go against Devin earlier. The American boxer is known to currently hang out and train with Floyd. Oscar implied that it was after the two went for a run that Ryan decided to change his opponent. He was supposed to fight Devin Haney but changed to Rolando Romero for his next fight. This was one of the most anticipated bouts in 2024.
Oscar De La Hoya lashing out at Floyd Mayweather on Instagram over his relationship with Ryan Garcia: “F*** off.” pic.twitter.com/QpQImeFlGl
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 11, 2024
The 50-year-old stated, “Floyd, if you want to give Ryan the secrets to defense in the ring, that’s great. Other than that, if you are still a promoter like it says here, fu** off”. After mentioning that it was the Golden Boy who backed Ryan Garcia from the beginning until he became a global sensation. He also added that they would agree on Rolando Romero as Garcia’s next opponent and would make the event a huge one too.
The veteran wasn’t happy with Floyd Mayweather’s involvement in derailing a mega event. And advised him to keep his suggestions for boxing. According to him, it was Ryan Garcia who initially asked him to arrange for the bout against Devin Haney. But later changes his mind allegedly after training with Floyd. Mayweather has yet to comment on Oscar De La Hoya’s accusation and involvement in the cancellation of the possible super fight.
Teofimo Lopez and Eddie Hearn also credit Floyd Mayweather for influencing Ryan Garcia’s changing opponents
The fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney would have been a huge draw. Haney is the undisputed lightweight king and the current WBC Super Lightweight Champion. Also, the two have fought six times already in amateur bouts, with three wins each. The old rivalry would have been one of the biggest storylines towards a battle for legacy and settling who is the undisputed king.
After the sequence of events and accusations against Floyd went viral. A few other names have come forward to claim the same. This would involve British sports promoter Eddie Hearn. In an interview, Hearn said that he was disappointed after Gracia dropped Devin Haney’s fight. He added that he thought Ryan wanted to fight elite guys and not take easy fights.
Eddie Hearn said, “And now he’s been hanging around with Floyd Mayweather, maybe it was word of advice. I don’t think it’s a terrible decision, but I think fans are disappointed… But I’m sure Ryan Garcia looked at Devin Haney and went, ‘That is a really tough fight, and I can beat Rolly Romero, so I’m gonna fight him and get my belt.’ It’s disappointing because I felt like Ryan Garcia could have given the fans a megafight against Devin Haney”.
This remark made it clear that it was after spending time with Mayweather that the 25-year-old made changes in his plans. Mayweather was also often accused of cherry-picking his opponents in his prime.
Boxer Teofimo Lopez was also convinced that it was Floyd Mayweather’s influence that caused Ryan Garcia to take the fight off the table. He further praised the decision, attributing it to the fact that Garcia would be more inclined to win a belt before facing Haney in a high-PPV event. This also affects their percentage share and value, as conveyed by the 26-year-old boxer.