Golden Boy head raises concerns over Zuffa deal as Ryan Garcia bout remains unconfirmed
Oscar De La Hoya has questioned whether Conor Benn can challenge for Ryan Garcia’s WBC title while signed to Zuffa Boxing. His comments add uncertainty to a fight that had been widely discussed for the summer.
Ryan Garcia and Benn had been heavily linked to a summer showdown in Las Vegas after Benn left Matchroom Boxing and signed with Zuffa. Benn made his first appearance under that banner earlier this month when he outpointed Regis Prograis on the Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov undercard at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Because Benn is positioned as the WBC mandatory challenger, talk quickly grew around a fight with reigning welterweight champion Ryan Garcia. Garcia had also spoken as if the bout was moving toward reality. But Oscar De La Hoya now appears far less convinced.
De La Hoya questioned today how Benn expects to challenge for recognized world titles while under contract with Zuffa, which has been linked to its own championship structure rather than the traditional sanctioning-body system.
“Conor Benn, you went on a press tour saying you want to fight Ryan Garcia and every other champion,” said De La Hoya on Instagram.
“How the F do you plan to do that when you’re signed to Zuffa, who only let you fight for their unicorn POS belt?”
If Benn fights Ryan Garcia for Ryan’s WBC title, Zuffa is essentially acknowledging the WBC’s authority. Oscar is likely using this as a talking point to paint Zuffa as an outsider that doesn’t respect boxing’s history, even though we all know money usually smooths over those philosophical differences.
By questioning Zuffa’s “unicorn belt,” he is forcing Dana to come to the negotiating table rather than Zuffa simply dictating terms as a league.
Zuffa’s roster of 50+ fighters has some fringe names. They need a crossover star like Ryan Garcia to legitimize their launch year. Oscar knows he holds the A-side card here.
Ultimately, if the money is there from the Saudis and the platform, Netflix or Paramount+, is big enough, De La Hoya will almost certainly find a way to make it work.