Promoter Oscar De La Hoya has revealed that Ryan Garcia asked to have his fight tonight against Oscar Duarte contested at a 143-lb catchweight, which was always meant to take place at that weight.
De La Hoya admits that he’s concerned about Ryan (23-1, 19 KOs) needing the weight for the fight contested at 143 rather than 140, as he felt that, as a professional, he should have trained hard for the contest take place in the light welterweight division.
The fans view this move as a further sign that the young, wealthy multi-millionaire Ryan Garcia lacks dedication to the sport and is just hanging around, hustling fights against boxers way out of the league talent-wise, similar to how the YouTubers are doing.
Question: Did Ryan honestly deserve a fight with Gervonta Davis last April? That’s a big NO, not unless beating mediocre opposition was a way for Ryan to deserve the fight.
Let’s be honest. Ryan got the fight with Tank Davis because of his 11 million Instagram followers and his following on Twitter & YouTube. Without his social media presence, Ryan would have been ignored by Tank’s promoters at Mayweather Promotions in the same way that other 135-pounders are, unless their names are Rolly Romero & Isaac Cruz.
It’s safe to say that the 25-year-old Ryan Garcia’s future is on the line tonight against the highly motivated go-getter Oscar Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs), who views the popular Instagram star as his path to fame & fortune.
Ryan Garcia vs. Duarte was ALWAYS going to be at 143
“Well, Ryan Garcia wanted a catchweight at 143, so we made it happen,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Manouk Akopyan’s YouTube channel. “I am concerned because why not make it at 140?
“If you’re a professional, you’re going to train hard and work hard, then 140 shouldn’t be a problem. I have no idea why he [Ryan] wanted this fight at 143, and it’s concerning.
Duarte has yet to get the taste of the big money Ryan has been swimming in, but that could change if he whips the daylights out of him tonight, sending him back to his mansion with another loss.
Ryan’s career appears to have hit the skids and is now hanging in the balance tonight. This is not a fight Ryan can afford to lose, given that Duarte was cherry-picked from the 135-lb division to get him back to his winning ways.
It’s a pivotal moment for Ryan, discovered by De La Hoya on social media years ago, slowly groomed and carefully matched to turn him into a big money maker without beating anyone notable.
That’s the interesting part. Ryan became rich without beating any of the dangerous talents at 135 or 140, thanks to his massive following on social media.
“I’m genuinely concerned about him and where he’s at. It’s my right to be concerned because I care. It’s always been 143. That’s always been the contractual weight,” said De La Hoya when asked why the Ryan vs. Duarte fight is at 143 rather than 140.”
This won’t be the end for Ryan if he loses tonight
Golden Boy won’t give up on Ryan Garcia if he gets blown out of the water by Duarte tonight, as he’ll still have his 11 million followers on Instagram, many of them impressionable kids, but followers nonetheless. But moving forward, Golden Boy would need to redouble their efforts in matching Ryan against safe opposition, which would be deemed harmless.
The problem with De La Hoya trying to save Ryan’s career, which he himself helped build, is that he would still likely insist on fighting Tank Davis, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez, even after coming off consecutive losses.
In other words, money is what Ryan’s career is all about it, not winning world titles and creating a real legacy. It’s all smoke & mirrors, with a fighter manufactured to look good but, in reality, the talent to even hang with bottom-tier contenders.
“Multi-year deal,” said De La Hoya on how many more fights Ryan Garcia has with Golden Boy. “I first discovered him as a kid on social media, and I got close to his parents.”
