The continued decline in the business relationship between boxing star Ryan Garcia and long-time promoter Oscar De La Hoya hit a new low on Friday.
The last month and a half has seen a lot of change for junior welterweight star Ryan Garcia. In the biggest fight of the 24-year-old’s career this past April, he was shockingly handed his first professional loss. The moment was stunning for many of his fans not just because he lost to fellow young star Gervonta Davis, but he was finished in less than seven rounds.
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Like many great boxers before him, the defeat has led to major changes as Ryan Garcia’s legal team sent a demand letter to his promoter Golden Boy looking to end their agreement. They claimed in documents that the company led by boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya allegedly violated their promotional agreement.
Well, after De La Hoya and the promotion failed at trying to address the issues with their young star informally, it was reported by Boxing Scene on Friday that Golden Boy has officially filed a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia and his attorney-adviser Lupe Valencia.
Ryan Garcia record: 23-1 (19 KOs)
In the documents obtained by the outlet, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy claim Valencia has directly interfered with communications between them and Garcia when trying to negotiate fights. And that Valencia interfered “in negotiations for his huge fight against Gervonta Davis and talked to other potential opponents and promoters both before and after Garcia lost to Davis.”
“With this filing, we are seeking to ensure that Ryan and his team will honor the remainder of his contract, a contract that Ryan himself called ‘one of the most lucrative boxing deals for a prospect in the history of the sport.’ Since then, Ryan has moved on to becoming a legitimate contender, and we will continue to present Ryan with the best possible opponents that can eventually lead the way to a world championship and historic legacy.”
– Golden Boy Statement
It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the promotion looks to hold Ryan Garcia to his contractual obligations with litigation.