Golden Boy accuses Zuffa of infringing on Ryan Garcia's rights

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 30: Boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya looks on during a press conference for the fight between Ryan Garcia and Rolando “Rolly” Romero at the Manhattan Center on April 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images) | Getty Images While Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya has maintained that he’d be willing to work with rival Dana White and Zuffa Boxing to make a fight between Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn, De La Hoya says Zuffa has been going about things all the wrong way by trying to circumvent him. ESPN now reports that De La Hoya has formally sent a cease and desist letter to Zuffa for attempting to infringe on their co-promotional rights to Garcia by trying to stage the fight without his involvement. “It has come to our attention that you are planning to announce a professional boxing match between Garcia and Conor Benn to be held on September 12, 2026, to be promoted by Zuffa, and to be broadcast on Paramount+,” the letter states. “That is a direct violation of Golden Boy’s and DAZN’s rights. Golden Boy has not approved of or agreed to the terms of any such bout.” De La Hoya would continue to assert his binding contract with Garcia while also taking up for DAZN, saying that streaming platform has vested interest in Garcia and rights to broadcast his fights on their network, and that Garcia’s promotional company King Ryan Enterprises cannot make these kind of agreements without his company’s expressed consent. Neither Zuffa nor Garcia have specifically responded to De La Hoya’s position just yet, but the Golden Boy promoter insists the fight can still be put together if the proper protocol is followed.