Boxing star Ryan Garcia shocked many with his controversial comments regarding his Golden Boy promoters, Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya.
“Bernard said he’d never lose to a white boy, then Joe Smith Jr. knocked him out of the ring,” Garcia said at his press conference ahead of his bout with Oscar Duarte on Dec. 2.
Garcia, 25, referenced Hopkins’ 2016 knockout loss to Smith as a contradiction to his recent comments. The California native also added that Hopkins has no control over where his career goes and when it will end.
“He [Bernard] doesn’t decide that. I, my team, [and] my coach decides that,” Garcia added
De La Hoya, CEO of the promotional company, is no stranger to conflicts with fighters on his roster. The former boxer turned promoter previously had public disputes with pay-per-view star Canelo Alvarez, which ultimately led to the termination of Alvarez’s contract, according to Marca.com.
But Garcia (23-1) has also had his share of run-ins with De La Hoya. In June, Garcia claimed that his promotional contract with the promotional company had been breached, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.
With all of the bad blood brewing, Garcia believes his former allies have turned into doubters heading into his next bout.
“They’re backing this guy to beat me,” Garcia said
This is the latest rift between the three after things went sour following Garcia’s first career loss to Gervonta Davis on April 22. Hopkins and De La Hoya didn’t appear at the post-fight press conference, which prompted questions from the media.
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