Ryan Garcia has slammed both of his promoters, Bernard Hopkins and Oscar de La Hoya, ahead of his fight against Oscar Duarte, before the Golden Boy questioned his fighter's “state of mind” in a now-deleted tweet.
The 25-year-old one-time lightweight champion, who has a complicated and well-documented relationship with De La Hoya, tore into Hopkins during his pre-fight press conference on Thursday, letting him know that he's not the one who gets to decide when it's time for he hangs up his gloves.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs), speaking immediately after Hopkins, said: “One thing that is on my heart is the statements that Bernard has made where he will decide whether I am going to finish or whether I should. continue after this fight. He doesn't decide that.
'My coach [Derrick James] and my team too. Everyone who thinks along with me day in and day out is the one who decides. Ultimately, God decides, not he.”
Garcia, who took a 15-month break from boxing due to mental health issues following his victorious lightweight championship fight against Luke Campbell three years ago, threw more shade at Hopkins, saying “no one told him when to stop boxing,” as he his performance compared career to that of his promoter.
Ryan Garcia (left) and Oscar Duarte (right) face off Saturday night in Houston, Texas
Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia's promoter, made some awkward facial reactions as his fighter spoke
'He retired from boxing at the age of 45. So kudos to him, but he doesn't decide that,” said the Mexican-American boxer. 'He also said he's calling out the bulls*** and the lies…
“Last time I checked, he [Hopkins] said he had never lost to a white boy, and then Joe Smith knocked him out of the ring. Last time I checked, Joe Smith Jr. White. So they're lying.'
Garcia is coming off a seventh-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis last April and desperately needs a win against Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs).
In the past, he expressed sentiments that De La Hoya wanted him to lose and see his career dwindle by picking specific opponents, such as his 2019 fight against Romero Duno. But Garcia knocked out his opponent in the first round and boasted about how he ruined his opponent. De La Hoya's plans to see him defeated.
“I'm coming to show what I bring, and I'm laser-focused,” he said Wednesday. 'That's where this trust comes from. Thank God for everything.
Garcia's last fight was a seventh-round knockout against Gervonta Davis, right, in April in Las Vegas
'..Another thing I want to discuss is Oscar [De La Hoya] saying we misinterpret what they said,” he added, referring to both his coaching and management teams.
'It's just English. I haven't heard anyone speak a language I don't know. It is very clear to me that they support this man [Oscar Duarte] to defeat me, just as they thought [Romero] Duno would beat me. He was the next Filipino star. They say he is [Duarte] the next Mexican star.
In a now-deleted tweet, De La Hoya, nicknamed The Golden Boy, said he is concerned about his fighter's mentality two days before Garcia returns to the octagon. The fight will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
“I have to say I'm really concerned about Ryan Garcia's state of mind,” De La Hoya, 50, said.
“Given his history of mental instability (which he himself has documented), his current erratic behavior shows that he is clearly not focused on Saturday's fight. You're not answering my calls Ryan, I hope you're okay.”