Just a few weeks ago, Ryan Garcia was impressed with Devin Haney. The slick movement, the underrated power, and his overall boxing skills all grabbed his attention as he scored a lopsided victory over Regis Prograis.
Garcia is an ambitious guy. So, with Haney seemingly coming across as the best fighter at 140 pounds, Garcia wanted a piece of the action. He wasn’t all talk either. He phoned Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, his current promoter, and told him that no matter what, Haney was the only fighter he wanted to face.
In some instances, negotiations between two highly thought-of fighters can get a bit messy. But Garcia came out and admitted that everything was going smoothly. As talks continued, Garcia was spotted with Floyd Mayweather going on a jog around Las Vegas. For the most part, what they discussed was kept under wraps, but Garcia emerged as practically a different man according to De La Hoya.
A fight with Devin Haney? No thanks. Rolando “Rolly” Romero? That was the new target.
De La Hoya was incredulous. But while he didn’t quite understand, he’s simply doing what he was told. Of course, De La Hoya isn’t entirely sure why Garcia has decided to change his mind. But, he does have a feeling about where all of this is coming from.
“Pre-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Haney. Post-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Rolly,” wrote De La Hoya on his social media account. “Golden Boy has worked with Ryan Garcia since he turned pro and together, have made him the biggest draw in boxing. We will make his fight with Rolly into a huge event as we always do.”
At first, De La Hoya was a bit ticked off when he saw Mayweather moving around with his fighter while whispering in his ear. Mayweather is no longer an active fighter and has spent the last few years rocking a promoter cap.
De La Hoya, if he wanted, could go the legal route. Nevertheless, he doesn’t appear interested in doing so at the moment. If Mayweather wants to give Garcia a few boxing tips, De La Hoya doesn’t have a problem with that. Anything else, however, and Mayweather should be shown the door.
“Floyd, if you want to give Ryan the secret to defense in the ring, that’s great. Other than that, if you are still a promoter like it says here, f— off.”