Oscar De La Hoya explains why he's 'proud' of Ryan Garcia following knockout win

Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya's relationship looks slightly better after Saturday night.

Over the weekend, 'KingRy' made his return to the ring opposite Oscar Duarte. For Garcia, the fight with the rising lightweight was an extremely important one. The bout was his first since a knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in April and his first under the tutelage of Derrick James.

The bout also took place in the middle of a heated legal battle with Golden Boy Promotions. Following his loss to 'Tank', Garcia attempted to leave his contract and was sued by his promoter. In response, he countersued right back.

As of now, Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya are still partners despite that lawsuit. While that led to a complicated press conference, they set their egos aside on fight night. Well, besides the fact that Garcia didn't allow 'Golden Boy' in his locker room.

Still, he hugged him after scoring an eight-round knockout win over Duarte. For his part, De La Hoya recapped the victory in a recent interview with FightHubTV. There, he stated that he was 'proud' of the young boxer, saying:

"As his promoter for many years to come, we’ll figure it out and figure out a plan. Then we’ll go back to the drawing board. I’m proud of him, man. I’m proud of every fighter. Being inside the ring, fighting, you feel so much emotion. Outside the ring, a big fight, especially after you lose, you come back and you think everybody is your enemy and then after you win everything’s great. Bro, I’ve been there."

See his comments in the video below (1:00)

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Will Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya continue to work together?

As of now, it appears that Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya will work together for a while.

While the two are currently suing each other, that's not entirely out of the norm for boxing. There have been many high-profile boxers in the past who have had battles with their promoters.

Famously, it took years for Andre Ward to become a free agent and leave Dan Goossen. Unlike 'Son of God', however, 'KingRy' has shown an interest in working with Golden Boy Promotions for the time being.

While Ryan Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya's relationship is likely better after Saturday, it's still not good. That being said, given their lawsuit, which could take years, they better get ready for the long haul.