He was a lonely figure in the celebrations.
His figure cut back on his own in the ring in the Ryan Garcia post-ring interview after he defeated Mario Barrios on UD on points.
But De La Hoya was not himself at all in the interviews. He hasn’t been at all lately for whatever reason.
The Vergil Ortiz situation and Ryan Garcia saying before his fight that is was his last one with De La Hoya would not have helped.
Let’s dissect the facts what we know on De La Hoya for now:
- Garcia keeps hinting he’s leaving Golden Boy soon after the fight.
- De La Hoya had to publicly insist Garcia is still under contract.
- He sounded defensive when asked about Garcia’s future in the presser.
- Losing his biggest star would hurt Golden Boy’s revenue big time. If he does in fact leave that is. The whole thing is unclear.
- Their history includes public spats and Garcia ripping him before. He teased big rematches but seemed cautious about them happening.
- Presser clips show him pausing and speaking more measured than usual. He called the win a “masterclass” but fidgeted during contract talk.
- Fight week stress (like another fighter’s withdrawal) carried over. Emotional investment in Garcia clashed with business uncertainty.
Let’s see what happens next with Garcia and De La Hoya.
Ultimately Ryan Garcia won a boxing match tonight and boxed well in the fight against an also under-par, like Garcia (compared to his prime for us), Mario Barrios.
