Dana White denied that Oscar De La Hoya was blocked from attending Ryan Garcia’s knockout victory over Conor Benn on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That denial leaves a larger question surrounding the Golden Boy promoter’s unexplained absence.
De La Hoya had been nearly invisible throughout fight week despite promoting Ryan. On Friday night, he posted a video promising, “See you tomorrow, and boy, do I have a surprise for you.”
Saturday came, Ryan stopped Benn in the second round, and Oscar was nowhere to be seen.
White was asked about the promoter during his post-fight press conference. He made no attempt to hide their mutual dislike, but insisted Zuffa Boxing had not prevented De La Hoya from attending.
“I do not like De La Hoya, and De La Hoya does not like me,” White said. “I would never disrespect him and say, ‘Oh, he shows up here, and we treat him like [expletive].’ I would call him on the phone and say, ‘Hey, don’t [expletive] show up to this event because we’re not going to treat you well.’ That was not the case. Why he didn’t show up, I don’t know.”
That last sentence is where the real story begins. De La Hoya lives in the Las Vegas area, promised that fans would see him Saturday, and promotes the fighter at the heart of the card. Yet he missed Ryan’s biggest victory in years.
His absence also comes with Ryan reportedly having one fight remaining on his Golden Boy contract. White repeatedly praised Ryan afterward, calling him one of the world’s best fighters and emphasizing his punching power, personality, and willingness to accept major fights.
White did not say Zuffa had reached an agreement with Ryan. Still, Oscar disappearing while another promoter openly sells Ryan as a future centerpiece creates a terrible visual for Golden Boy.
If Zuffa did not keep De La Hoya away, Oscar has some explaining to do.
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Last Updated on 2026/09/13 at 2:03 AM
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