De La Hoya Says He Still Hasn’t Been Approached Over Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn

Oscar De La Hoya has denied being approached about a proposed Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn fight, despite ongoing reports that the bout is being lined up for September 12 in Las Vegas.

The Golden Boy Promotions head addressed the situation in a social media video released on Thursday evening, saying the issue centres on existing contracts around Garcia and the role of Golden Boy and DAZN in any future fight involving him.

Garcia is tied to a two-fight agreement Golden Boy signed with Turki Alalshikh in 2025, with the first bout under that deal coming against Mario Barrios. De La Hoya said Turki Alalshikh and Sela have now selected Benn as Garcia’s next opponent. Still, he maintained that he has not been properly involved in the process despite Golden Boy’s contractual position.

The dispute has become more than a routine negotiation. De La Hoya was reportedly blindsided by news that Zuffa Boxing planned to announce Garcia’s first title defence against Benn at UFC 328 on Paramount+, prompting at least two cease-and-desist orders against Zuffa Boxing and Paramount over the proposed event.

Ricardo P. Cestero, De La Hoya’s attorney, alleged in a cease-and-desist letter that Golden Boy had not participated in the financial dealings or negotiations for Garcia’s potential fight, despite being required to do so alongside King Ryan Promotions. DAZN also sent a cease-and-desist letter asserting that Garcia is contractually obligated to have his fights broadcast on Golden Boy’s streaming partner, not Paramount+.

Dana White has said he does not know anything about a cease-and-desist letter allegedly sent by Golden Boy over Garcia-Benn. Eddie Hearn later said White’s recent outburst against DAZN was triggered by DAZN issuing a cease-and-desist order to White for contacting Garcia, who is exclusively contracted to DAZN, with White also receiving a similar order from Golden Boy and De La Hoya.

De La Hoya’s wider complaint is that Turki Alalshikh and Sela cannot simply choose fighters, dates or networks for bouts staged in America without respecting existing agreements. He also claimed Alalshikh and Sela are facing numerous lawsuits over their actions in boxing, and said any plan for Garcia has to go through Golden Boy and DAZN.

De La Hoya also questioned the motivation behind selecting Benn, speculating that Alalshikh wants to support Zuffa Boxing, in which he holds a 60 per cent ownership stake. De La Hoya argued there is not significant demand for Garcia-Benn and said he would prefer Garcia to pursue a rematch with Devin Haney, which he considers a much bigger fight.

His comments came after Alalshikh organised a summit in London this week to address the growing divide between Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry. De La Hoya, Al Haymon and Bob Arum were excluded from that meeting despite their influence in the US market, and De La Hoya said Alalshikh had initiated a peace meeting with Zuffa, Frank Warren and Hearn to solve a conflict he believes Alalshikh started.

Benn’s side has been moving as though the fight can still happen. On June 22, Keith Connolly said Benn’s team had signed for the Garcia fight and that he believed Garcia had also accepted, while acknowledging unresolved broadcast issues: “I mean, we’ve signed on our side. I think Ryan’s accepted it too. I think they’re working out some issues with the networks…. I have my guy signed for the fight and ready to go, and I think we’ll hear some positive news in the next couple of weeks.”

The immediate issue is whether the parties trying to deliver Garcia-Benn can bring Golden Boy and DAZN into the process or find a way around the contractual dispute. Until that happens, Benn’s agreement and the reported September target remain secondary to the fight’s promotional and broadcast difficulties.