Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya expressed worry about Ryan Garcia’s behavior during his headliner fight with Oscar Duarte at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. De La Hoya shared his concerns about Garcia’s mental state on social media.
(Photo provided by: Golden Boy Promotion)
De La Hoya mentioned that Garcia’s behavior was abnormal and that it was clear he wasn’t focused during the press conference. He hopes that Garcia will not break down before the upcoming main event against Duarte, as the event hinges on his participation.
During the press conference, the 25-year-old Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) announced his decision to fight Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs).
At the press conference, Garcia made some strange and paranoid comments that made De La Hoya wonder if Golden Boy had selected Duarte as an opponent to strategize against him. However, it seems unlikely that Golden Boy would pick a weaker opponent to face Garcia, considering the significance of the fight.
Duarte, a 135-pound fighter, is not a high-level opponent and has only faced one notable fighter in his career, losing to him. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for Garcia to believe that Golden Boy selected Duarte with the intention of defeating him.
De La Hoya also addressed Garcia’s comments regarding Bernard Hopkins’ interview two months ago, emphasizing the misinterpretation of Hopkins’ intentions by Garcia. He explained that it is challenging to communicate effectively with someone like Garcia when he is making baseless claims and creating unnecessary distractions.
De La Hoya mentioned that Garcia’s actions are perplexing, as he has never been one to react to criticism from promoters or management during his own career. He expressed concern about Garcia’s upcoming fight and how he will respond to facing a powerful opponent like Duarte, especially given his previous loss to Gervonta Davis.
De La Hoya acknowledged the interest in seeing Garcia’s performance in the upcoming fight and emphasized the significance of the match against Duarte.
