Via Jeff Aaron: Golden Boy Promotion boss Oscar De La Hoya says he’s working on a “Giant” fight for Ryan Garcia. De La Hoya did not say who would rival former WBC interim lightweight champion Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), but it is not expected to be Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz.
It was essential that Ryan didn’t face a puncher in his first hit back, as he looked fragile in his final bout against Luke Campbell the year before in January. Campbell isn’t a big boxer, but he dropped Ryan Garcia like a bad habit in the second round.
The worrying thing is that Ryan looks like he briefly got out of it as he was falling. Campbell said later that he believed Ryan had passed out from the left hand he had placed on him.
In that case, it’s important that Ryan Garcia is NOT facing a puncher like ‘Pitbull’ Cruz because he hits harder than Campbell, and he’ll overwhelm him, forcing a teamfight.
Joseph Diaz could be Ryan’s rival
The “huge” bout De La Hoya claims to work for Ryan Garcia could be former IBF super featherweight champion Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr., who signed with Oscar’s company and volunteered to join the fight last week.
Times will be terrible, as Diaz Jr. about to lose one side in the 12th round unanimously against the WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney on December 4th.
Ryan achieves nothing fighting Jojo Diaz Jr unless he knocks him out, and that’s unlikely since he has a strong chin.
Diaz Jr lacks strength, hand speed and defense, making him the ideal opponent for Ryan Garcia’s next fight.
I’m doing something great for @RyanGarcia @GoldenBoyBoxing
– Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) January 14, 2022
If you are Dr. Frankenstein and want to create the perfect opponent for Ryan to fight in April, you can gather Joseph ‘Jojo’Diaz Jr so that King Ry can dress well in his return.
Jojo ticks all the boxes for the kind of opponent Golden Boy is likely looking to take on Ryan after his long layoff and underperformance against Luke Campbell.
Jojo Diaz Jr looked mediocre when he lost to Haney lightweight last December, but maybe that’s what Golden Boy wants for Ryan.
Diaz is the type of fighter that Ryan can beat, and what makes him the pick, Golden Boy has him high. In other words, Ryan and Jojo Diaz will be an internal battle for the Golden Boy.
In what must be considered a move worth mentioning, De La Hoya retweeted a post by Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr on January 7 in which he volunteered for his next fight with Ryan Garcia.
Get me in there with the next Ryan! @OscarDeLaHoya @GoldenBoyBoxing @RyanGarcia @makeawar @Micheladatime
– Joseph Diaz (@JosephDiazJr) January 7, 2022
For De La Hoya to retweet Jojo’s post makes it clear that he is who he wants Ryan to fight next.
Furthermore, there has been discussion on social media that the fighter Golden Boy wants is Jojo Diaz Jr., and that they won’t fight the dangerous ‘Pitbull’ Cruz for obvious reasons.
Isaac Cruz Won’t Hit Ryan Garcia
Pitbull is too talented, and it would be a big risk for them to let Ryan Garcia fight him. Ryan is about to suffer a hand injury, mental health issues and 15 months layoff for those who don’t know. It’s a sour mixture of issues Ryan is facing in his next fight, which he says is “Not a return.”
Dan Rafael reported this week that two of the options Golden Boy is considering for Ryan’s next fight in April are: Mercito Gesta and Saul Rodriguez. Ryan said that the reports of him fighting either of them were “Incorrect,” but he didn’t say who he could face.
It may not be right for Ryan to face Gesta or Rodriguez next, but if it’s Jojo Diaz as his next opponent, he’s no better than either of those two.
That is the opponent that Ryan, 23, wants to fight next. However, De La Hoya blasted that idea when he announced last week that Pitbull Cruz had turned down a “very lucrative offer”.
Cruz promoter Sean Gibbons will respond to De La Hoya, criticizing him for making “false statements” about Pitbull turning down an offer made for him.
Gibbons then told Ryan that if he seriously wanted to fight ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, they were ready to make a big offer for him. That message to Ryan was on January 6, and things have been quiet since then, which could only mean one thing. The war did not happen.
In December, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe predicted that Golden Boy wouldn’t let Ryan fight Pitbull Cruz, and it turns out he was right.
