By Kenneth Friedman: Superstar Ryan Garcia is off the July 4 Golden Boy Promotions card on DAZN, and it’ll now be headlined by the unbeaten welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz. Not having Ryan Garcia as the headliner will be a massive disappointment for a lot of boxing fans because he’s quickly becoming one of the biggest draws in the U.S.
While Ryan isn’t yet on the level of Canelo Alvarez, he could someday surpass the Mexican star if he keeps knocking out his opposition in highlight reel wins.
It could be interesting to have the unbeaten 147-pound contender Ortiz (15-0, 15 KOs) in the top spot on the GBP card, but only if they match against someone that can give him a decent fight.
Ryan Garcia wanted to fight on July 4 card
Vergil’s recent opponents had looked half-stunned before they even walked into the ring. He needs to be matched against guys that can test him like Yordenis Ugas, Josesito Lopez, and Keith Thurman.
Garcia, 21, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya traded verbal shots on social media on Monday night. King Ryan Garcia deleted his Tweet soon after saying this:
“You do realize you’re supposed to be my promoter, not a hater, right?” said Ryan Garcia to his promoter Oscar De La Hoya.
Soon after posting the Tweet, Ryan deleted the Tweet.
De La Hoya said this in his own Tweet:
“Due to Team @KingRyanG decision not to accept a July 4th bout, we will now return in late July with the future of boxing Vergil Ortiz,” said De La Hoya.
The location of the July 4 card is expected to take place at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, according to ESPN. Depending on the level of the 22-year-old Ortiz’s opponent, it could be interesting to see him fight. Before the pandemic hit, Ortiz was supposed to face journeyman Samuel Vargas on March 28 in Los Angeles.
That would have been a lateral move or Ortiz from the guys he’d been facing in his three previous fights against Brad Solomon, Antonio Orozco, and Mauricio Sulaiman.
Thus far, Golden Boy isn’t ready to put Ortiz in with substantial opposition that could potentially give him problems. Although Ortiz does a lot of talking on social media, he’s still being matched after soft fighters that can’t expose his flaws.
Golden Boy’s offer turned down by King Ryan
Lightweight contender Ryan Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) would have been the main event fighter on the card, but he failed to agree to the money offer made to him by Golden Boy.
“An offer was made to him, and his team passed,” said Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez to ESPN.com on Ryan Garcia, turning down the offer to fight in the main event on the July 4 card.
Ryan Garcia’s adviser Lupe Valencia is hoping that he can return to the ring in July or August on DAZN. If not, then he’ll have to wait until possibly September. It’s in Golden Boy’s best interest to have Ryan fighting soon. Aside from Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia is the next most famous fighter in Golden Boy’s stable.
If Ryan continues to reject offers made to him by Golden Boy for him to fight, then it’s unclear what direction the promotional company can go in. Ryan is too famous for De La Hoya to leave on the shelf for years at a time, and it won’t do him, Golden Boy, or DAZN any good to have him sit on the sidelines.
If Golden Boy wants to let Ryan Garcia buy his way out of his contract, then that might be an option. Ryan would likely have a lot of interest in promoters if he became a free agent right now.