Golden Boy Promotions is now prepared to pick up where it left off regarding its post-pandemic future.
For now, it’s very good news for one of its rising stars while a sobering reality for another.
An Independence Day card to have been presented by Golden Boy are no longer in play, with the California-based promotional company already committing to move in another direction. The July 4 show would have been headlined by unbeaten lightweight contender Ryan ‘KingRy’ Garcia (20-0, 17KOs), who publicly expressed his displeasure over the financial terms for such a show.
It was all that needed to be heard by those who sign his paychecks.
“Due to Team @KingRyanG decision not to accept a July 4th bout, we will now return in late July with the future of boxing, @vergilortiz,” Oscar de la Hoya, founder and chairman of Golden Boy Promotions revealed through social media on Monday. “[M]ore exciting details to follow @GoldenBoyBoxing.”
The news did not sit well with the affected party.
"You do realize you’re supposed to be my promoter not hater right?" Garcia replied in a tweet he has since scrubbed from his timeline. It was picked up in part by two-time and current 154-pound titlist Jermell Charlo who didn't shy away from giving his take.
"Bruh [n]obody better than [adviser Al H]aymon," Charlo subtweeted. "I left GBP making 100k got with Haymon made 10x more.. bruh you to[o] popular to be with them..DONT BE USED OR PUT ON THE SHELF.. [YOU'RE] YOUNG BE SMART."
The decision to lead with Vergil Ortiz Jr. (15-0, 15KOs) makes perfect sense considering the unbeaten welterweight has been waiting in queue for nearly three months. A March 28th show was to have been headlined by the BoxingScene.com 2019 Prospect of the Year, only for the show to get canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Like many promoters, Golden Boy Promotions saw its spring schedule decimated as a result though feverishly working on a plan to get its vast stable of boxers back in the ring in the safest possible manner. A recently approved order by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) paved the way for boxing and other combat sports to resume in the state, contingent upon approval from the state’s Office of Administrative Law and in compliance with CDC health standards.
At the time of the ruling, Golden Boy was already putting together plans for a July 4 show to take place behind closed doors in California. The event was to have been headlined by Garcia, one of the few notable boxers who has already fought in 2020 prior to the ongoing global health crisis.
“Our intention is to return on July 4, just like Oscar has mentioned in prior interviews,” Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions told BoxingScene.com on May 30th. “Fans miss the sport, and they miss seeing the many excellent fighters we have in our stable.”
Those plans took less than a week to fall apart, though assignment on blame depends on whose version of the truth you choose to believe.
As was the case with their very public feud last September, Garcia—who boasts a huge social media presence—initially took to his platform to voice his displeasure before taking it one step further.
“I don’t know about my fight July 4th guys,” Garcia tweeted on June 5. “[W]on’t happen most likely and it’s sad [because] I want to fight so bad but it just a lot of bullsh-t I’m not going to get into right now.”
A few days later, he would very much get into it.
The fallout over the fight date stems from what the young lightweight contender views as an unacceptable purse offer. Garcia—who is coming off of a 1st round knockout of former two-time title challenger Francisco Fonseca this past Valentine’s Day—was reportedly due to make $200,000 for the show—on the surface, a reasonable purse given the current climate and the fact that any shows in the foreseeable future will come without fans in attendance.
“That’s bulls-t,” Garcia complained to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “Why am I being held back financially? What is the problem here? Why is DAZN giving out big numbers to guys fighting nobodies? It’s f--ked up how I’m being treated. I’m not asking for $100 million. Just give me the check I deserve. How am I one of the biggest fighters in the world and I get bigger paychecks outside of boxing?”
Garcia and Golden Boy argued in person and through social media over his eventual withdrawal from a DAZN card last September. The unbeaten boxer from Victorville, California was due to face Avery Sparrow, who was arrested prior to the weigh-in due to an outstanding warrant. In an effort to salvage his place on the card, Golden Boy offered Philippines' Romero Duno as a late replacement opponent for Garcia.
The fight would eventually happen in November, but not after Garcia—who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, best known for his work with global superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez—went public with his displeasure over what he felt was unfair treatment given his rising popularity. From it, came a sitdown with the Golden Boy staff which resulted in his signing what was described as the most lucrative contract ever offered by the company to a prospect and rising young star.
Garcia has since fought twice—scoring 1st round knockouts over Duno and Fonseca—but took offense to the amount offered for his next proposed ring appearance. In his view, it was insulting enough to where speaking directly with Golden Boy is not an option.
“I’m not saying anything about Golden Boy. I’m not going to worry about what Golden Boy is doing right now. I just want my direct line. I’m tired of going through middlemen. DAZN needs to call me. I need to hear from them why stuff can’t happen. You have Shakur Stevenson going on [Tuesday] night. Why is ESPN going and not me?”
It’s a question he can continue to ask himself once Golden Boy is ready to once again return to the boxing business.
The development gives a new perspective to the next ring appearance for Ortiz, who scored four knockout wins in as many fights in 2019. His breakout year included a 6th round stoppage of former title challenger Antonio Orozco last August in his hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas and a 5th round stoppage of Brad Solomon to close out his 2019 campaign last December in Indio, California.
Ortiz was due to face Samuel Vargas on March 28, with hopes of the bout leading to at least a title eliminator for his next ring appearance. There is no indication as to whether that exact fight will be rescheduled for late July as this goes to publish.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
