Oscar De La Hoya has finally explained why he skipped Ryan Garcia’s WBC welterweight title fight against Conor Benn in September, despite Garcia being one of Golden Boy Promotions’ biggest stars.
The absence of Oscar De La Hoya became one of the biggest talking points during fight week after reports claimed he had been denied credentials for the event, which was promoted by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing. White later denied those claims, but De La Hoya says he chose not to attend for a different reason.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, De La Hoya revealed that he feared he would be embarrassed if he showed up at the event.
“I wasn’t going to show up to be embarrassed,” De La Hoya said. “It was a Zuffa f***ing event. A ‘Zuffa event,’ a ‘Turki event.’ I was not going to show up and be embarrassed because that’s exactly what they were going to do to me. I was not going to do that. So I made the wise decision not to go.”
Garcia went on to dominate Benn, scoring a second-round TKO victory in Las Vegas. According to De La Hoya, his presence could have created unnecessary distractions and taken attention away from his fighter’s performance.
“Oh yeah, so much s*** happened in those dealings, in those contracts, but let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t go because I was going to be set up,” De La Hoya said. “You saw Teofimo [Lopez], how they didn’t allow him in the ring to have a faceoff with Ryan and embarrassed him not going up there. It’s like, I’m not going to be embarrassed going to an event where my fighter is participating in. I just wasn’t going to do it.
“It would have been embarrassing. It would have created distractions. It would have been a mess.”
The comments add another chapter to the long-running rivalry between Oscar De La Hoya and Dana White. The two promoters have traded public shots for years, often clashing over fighter treatment, boxing promotion, and White’s involvement in the sport.
White, however, strongly rejected De La Hoya’s claims. Speaking after a recent episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC CEO insisted he would never intentionally humiliate anyone at an event, even someone he openly dislikes.
“I would never do that,” White said. “Listen, my dislike for Oscar De La Hoya is very well known. He knows it, I know it, and it’s mutual. But I am the type of person who would call and say, ‘Don’t even try and show up to this f***ing fight. You’re not welcome.’ I would never have somebody show up to an event and do that.
“It happened to me. Vince McMahon did it to me for Ronda’s first wrestling match. I flew to New Orleans, showed up at will call, and they said, ‘We have no tickets for you.’ I wouldn’t do that to even an enemy.”
White also denied reports that Oscar De La Hoya was being treated differently from other promoters. He said De La Hoya had tickets and knew where he would be seated, adding that he was expected to be part of the VIP section alongside other notable guests.
“Oscar knew he had tickets,” White said. “Oscar knew where he was sitting. Oscar was coming in the back, like all the celebrities do, to the celebrity VIP area, and he knew all of that.
“I would never do that to anybody. If I don’t like you, I’ll tell you straight up. We’re probably never going to be friends, but I would never have somebody show up and be treated like that.”
As for allegations that Golden Boy personnel were not treated properly during the event, White declined to comment further.
“He should talk to Turki about that if that’s the case.”
Despite White’s denial, Oscar De La Hoya remains convinced he made the right decision by staying away from the Garcia-Benn showdown.
