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Oscar De La Hoya is absolutely certain that Golden Boy Promotions has a megastar on their hands in Ryan Garcia.
The undefeated lightweight contender has amassed a career record of 22-0 with 18 knockouts and is a media sensation. As Garcia closes in on a title shot, De La Hoya hopes that Garcia’s massive social media following will propel him to superstardom.
The Victorville native boasts an Instagram account with 9 million followers, a YouTube account with 1 million followers, and has 80,000 followers on Twitter. De La Hoya, along with fellow legend Bernard Hopkins, are hopeful he’ll continue to grow.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, De La Hoya detailed Garcia’s development. He discussed Garcia’s potential as well as a pair of mega fights in the future.
De La Hoya said :
"When you say something to him, he listens. He's a 23-year-old kid who hears what you have to say, and he pays attention to it and he wants to learn. That's a valuable commodity. He listens to me. He listens to [Golden Boy executive] Bernard Hopkins. He values what we say."
He added:
"He can be the biggest star in boxing. It's not the same way I got there or the same way others have gotten there. And he's willing to do the things and put in the work that it'll take to get there."
See the complete story from Bleacher Report below:
Oscar De La Hoya teases Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia vs. Saul Alvarez
Oscar De La Hoya believes that potential fights with Gervonta 'Tank' Davis and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez are in Garcia’s future. Though politics and multiple weight classes separate them, De La Hoya believes it can be done.
Should Davis separate from Mayweather Promotions, it leaves the door open for a Garcia fight. Regarding Alvarez, Garcia will need to eventually move up six divisions to face him.
While seemingly unlikely now, De La Hoya has experience in the matter. The Hall of Famer became a six-division champion in 2004. There is no doubt he could guide Garcia towards a potential dream match in the future.
For now, Garcia should focus on competing in the dangerous lightweight division. He ended a long layoff by defeating Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9. He is now turning his attention to Issac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and calling for a summer showdown.
