Oscar De La Hoya Comments on Ryan Garcia's Training with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya has expressed his hopes that his star client Ryan Garcia will benefit from his recent training sessions with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., particularly in terms of improving Garcia's defensive skills.

In response to a video on social media showing Garcia going on a late-night run with Mayweather, De La Hoya, who has had a longstanding rivalry with Mayweather both inside and outside the ring, offered positive remarks.

"That's awesome," De La Hoya told ESNews.

"Look, I always praise a fighter, a young fighter who wants to soak up all that information from a legend, from an icon. So when I saw Ryan running with Floyd, I was like yeah, ask him questions about defense, about, you know."

De La Hoya also emphasized his support for another of his fighters, Vergil Ortiz, stating,

"In the meantime, I'm gonna promote Vergil Ortiz who’s gonna knock everyone out … so I'm glad that Vergil comes to me and gets information and soaks it in. If Ryan wants to go with Floyd, and not to me, so be it, it’s great. Because that’s another legend. Different styles but another legend. So it’s all information that these young fighters are soaking in, which is great."

Despite the ongoing legal disputes between De La Hoya and Garcia, including a lawsuit over Garcia's contract, Garcia fought under the Golden Boy banner in December, defeating Oscar Duarte in eight rounds at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Garcia has a history of maintaining a friendly relationship with Mayweather, although this has occasionally led to tensions with De La Hoya. Garcia clarified on social media that while Mayweather is mentoring him, his primary coach remains Derrick James, and he urged people not to judge him based on appearances.

"Floyd is mentoring me, And I love and respect him, he is so authentic so stop judging him," Garcia wrote. "Judging a book by its cover will stop you from reading but Derrick James is my coach, and I love him too."

The training sessions with Mayweather mark another chapter in the evolving career of Ryan Garcia, who continues to navigate his professional journey under the guidance of Oscar De La Hoya and amidst the influences of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather Jr.