Oscar De La Hoya speaks out strongly against Dana White and Zuffa Boxing in an exciting interview with Ariel Helwani.
Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya is still clashing with UFC boss Dana White as Ryan Garcia gets ready to defend his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn this September.
De La Hoya, who promotes Garcia, is on a collision course with White as the big fight in Las Vegas gets closer. Benn, a British fighter, is now part of Zuffa Boxing—the promotion started by White and Saudi investor Turki Alalshikh, who is backing the event.
Despite some tension, De La Hoya insists his Golden Boy promotion is involved in putting on the fight, even though Garcia, a Golden Boy fighter, seems to be acting a bit separately. De La Hoya wasn’t part of the press conference two weeks ago, where White took center stage during a heated argument that had security keeping Garcia and Benn apart.
“I didn’t even know about it!” De La Hoya said on The Ariel Helwani Show, which also featured Garcia last week. “That’s what they do—they try to keep things from me. I really think they’re trying to keep me away from Dana because they know what would happen if I was there.
“Look, I’m not going to throw punches, but we all know Ryan Garcia is my fighter, and this is a Golden Boy event. It’s also a Zuffa event since Turki bought it and included Zuffa because Conor is with them now. Let’s all work together and everything will go smoothly. Don’t be afraid!”
De La Hoya promised he’ll be front and center for the fight and said he can’t wait. When asked, he agreed Garcia should have kept him in the loop.
Even though things have been tense, the boxing legend is full of praise for Garcia and is confident he’ll knock Benn out in front of a packed Vegas crowd, which could include around 20,000 British fans.
“How petty is it that they didn’t include me and made sure I wasn’t on stage?” De La Hoya asked. “Are they really scared I’ll punch Dana in the nose?”
Zuffa Boxing held three events in September 2025 and started 2026 with Zuffa Boxing 01 in January. The promotion mainly works in Nevada but has also visited London and Bournemouth. Its ninth event was at Madison Square Garden, with Dublin next, before the big Garcia vs Benn fight for the welterweight title.
De La Hoya was also one of the voices against new laws allowing Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), which operate outside the main boxing groups like WBC and WBA. White and TKO Group, which owns Zuffa Boxing and the UFC, were key supporters of that bill.