Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya spoke with media members about his plans to sit down with Ryan Garcia to hash out plans for his next outing. De La Hoya says Garcia will be looking to get back in the ring around March, which he thinks will afford him the opportunity to fight three times in 2024, with their eyes on some big fights.
De La Hoya on what plans he has for Ryan Garcia’s next fight
“Whatever Ryan wants next is what we will do. Whatever we think is the best move as a team, collectively, we are going to start working on it. So Ryan Garcia I believe wants to come back in March, spend the holidays with the family, and then start the serious training right after the holidays and get ready for March. I think that is ideal.
“If you start in March then maybe you can have three fights in that year. So it could be a big year for Ryan.”
On who he’s been more impressed with between Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney
“I think Devin Haney is a special fighter. I think Devin Haney knows how to figure out his opponents. I knew from the start that Haney had a better corner, I knew he had a better strategy — it obviously showed — but Haney knows how to dissect you and be patient and use his reach and his distance and doesn’t care what the crowd says. That’s crucial to any fighter.
“When you’re on top of the ring and you’re hearing boos from everybody, a lot of fighters start panicking and start changing up their game plan and they make mistakes. Shakur Stevenson doesn’t care. I mean, it hurts you in other ways, popularity and fans and this and that, but all they care about is winning inside the ring.”
On who he’ll contact if Garcia wants the Haney fight
“I have no idea who is representing Haney. I’ll have my people look into it but we’re going to sit down with Team Ryan Garcia and he has expressed a lot of interest in fighting Rolly, and if that’s the fight they want, if that’s the fight we have to negotiate then so be it. As his promoter I will get him the best deal structure and we will once again build one of the biggest PPVs of the year.”