Oscar De La Hoya blames Zuffa Boxing for blocking Ryan Garcia‑Conor Benn fight

Oscar De La Hoya, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, said Zuffa Boxing is obstructing a planned bout between WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia and British contender Conor Benn. Speaking on a DAZN broadcast on June 21, 2026, De La Hoya warned that any Garcia fight must be promoted by Golden Boy and aired on DAZN, not on Zuffa’s proposed Paramount+ platform.

Garcia, who captured the WBC title from Mario Barrios in February, remains under an exclusive promotional contract with Golden Boy. Benn, the WBC’s No. 1 welterweight challenger, most recently defeated Regis Prograis in April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Both camps have discussed a September 12, 2026 matchup, potentially at T‑Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Golden Boy has issued a cease‑and‑desist letter to Zuffa Boxing, demanding it stop negotiations that ignore Garcia’s promotional rights. De La Hoya reiterated that “promoters for a reason, contracts for a reason,” and that Zuffa’s involvement “gets in the way” and creates “a big problem all the time.” No hearing date or next steps have been announced.