Oscar De La Hoya Wants Devin Haney or Teofimo Next for Ryan Garcia
Oscar De La Hoya says Ryan Garcia has one fight left with Golden Boy, and he wants that fight to be Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, the promoter said talks should start soon and that the next bout “should be massive.”
Garcia is 26-2 with 21 knockouts and holds the WBC welterweight title. He won the belt by decision over Mario Barrios in February, then stopped Conor Benn in the second round on Sept. 12 at T-Mobile Arena. That defense was co-promoted with Zuffa Boxing, and Garcia has said the Golden Boy deal has one fight remaining.
De La Hoya confirmed the contract count when Helwani asked. “Yes, he does. One fight,” he said. He does not have a date. “Not sure yet. We’re hoping that we can sit down fairly soon and map out the next fight for him, which should be massive.”
He framed the timing as a welterweight market that is already crowded with names. “I think that this division right now is so hot, and Ryan is the hottest fighter right now,” De La Hoya said. “We’re excited to start talks very soon.”
Asked who he would pick, he did not hesitate. “The guy that I wanted, in the first place, Devin Haney,” De La Hoya said. He then put Lopez in the same tier. “Devin Haney and Teofimo are the biggest fights out there for Ryan.”
That is a promoter’s ranking, not a signed bout. Haney is 33-0 and holds the WBO welterweight title he won from Brian Norman Jr. in November 2025. Lopez holds the WBA belt and sits behind Haney and Garcia on The Ring’s 147-pound list, with Garcia at No. 2 after the Benn win.
De La Hoya said Garcia has reached the point where those are the right opponents. “Ryan’s at an elite level right now,” he said. “He’s the guy who should be fighting the top guys and the very best.”
He tied the preference to Garcia’s own ambition. “What I love about Ryan is that he has something very competitive in him, where he wants to fight the very best, and he wants to show the world that he is the best,” De La Hoya said. “A Teofimo or a Devin Haney is the perfect choice for him.”
Garcia has already pointed at both men. After the Benn stoppage he called Lopez into the ring and talked about clearing the division, including another run at Haney. Their 2024 meeting was later overturned after Garcia failed a post-fight drug test, so a second fight would carry that history with it.
The contract question is the other half of the interview. Helwani asked whether Golden Boy would still be in business with Garcia after the last bout. “It all depends on him,” De La Hoya said. “He knows exactly what type of job I did for him.”
He pointed to the titles and the opportunities as the case for staying. “He knows exactly how I work and how we got him to all those opportunities, the world titles and everything,” De La Hoya said. “We’ve done great by him.”
The relationship has not been smooth. De La Hoya was not part of the Zuffa presentation around the Benn card, and Garcia was complimentary of that show afterward. De La Hoya treated the friction as normal. “Our differences outside the ring or whatever it might be, those are situations that fighters go through and promoters and you have your differences,” he said.
He then defended the work. “The job at hand that we’ve done as a promoter, and even as a person, I’ve always treated him right, fairly,” De La Hoya said. “If you judge me by the work that we’ve done for him, it’s been outstanding.”
He said they have spoken since the fight. “It’s all good,” De La Hoya said, and he described the relationship as in a good place. He also borrowed a warning from Bob Arum. “Do not fall in love with fighters because they will break your heart,” he said. “I don’t take it personal anymore. I just do my job and promote the next guy and keep promoting the next guy.”
Helwani asked whether Golden Boy would try to lock in a long-term deal before the last fight, or whether Garcia fights and then hits free agency. De La Hoya said the contract sets the order. “My job is to get him the next big fight. Because that’s what my contract says,” he said. “If he wants to sit down afterwards and discuss things and talk about future fights and deals, then I’m all for it. I’m here for Ryan whenever he needs me.”
On Zuffa, he was direct. Garcia “was very complimentary,” De La Hoya said, “and I’m glad that it turned out great for him because it’s Ryan’s career that’s on the line.” He does not expect a move. “But no, I don’t think he’ll go with Zuffa.”
Haney is the cleaner big fight on paper, because Lopez still has a WBA mandatory against Jack Catterall, with a negotiation window running toward late October. Lopez has said a May 2027 unification is the date his side and Golden Boy have discussed. Nothing in De La Hoya’s comments moves either bout off the table or onto a poster.
Golden Boy’s remaining obligation is one fight, and De La Hoya wants that fight to be Haney or Lopez. Whether Garcia uses it as a farewell or as the start of another deal will not be clear until that bout is made and fought.
