Ryan Garcia might not like Oscar De La Hoya, but Teofimo Lopez has immense respect for the man! In a recent twist, ‘Golden Boy’ turned to social media to express his gratitude to ‘The Takeover’ for defending him. The update comes after Rolly Romero made some derogatory comments about De La Hoya online.

In a tweet from January 22, ‘Rolly’ called Oscar a “Drug addicted Con-man” and demanded royalties on “Oscar De la fishnets,” referring to some old leaked pictures of him in drag costume. Following the tweet from Romero, Lopez reassured Oscar, stating, “If it comes to it, I’ll handle this fake champ.” So, the head of Golden Boy Promotions saw fit to respond to Lopez’s support on X today! 

Oscar De La Hoya claims Rolly Romero doesn’t know what a legend is

Before Romero’s derogatory tweet about Oscar, it’s worth mentioning that Romero was supposed to fight Garcia. However, Oscar had asserted that Romero priced himself out, so the fight became an unattainable prospect! Yet, when Oscar discovered Lopez’s support, he responded, “Thanks [Teofimo Lopez,] it’s all good brother. You have these young kids who have no idea what a legend is or how to be one.”

He went on to convey, “At the end of the day, I’ll be around boxing till I die and be the first ever fighter and promoter in the HOF.” Moreover, while the fight between Garcia and Romero failed to become real, the former signed a deal with Isaac Cruz for a fight. Interestingly, Romero also accused Oscar of going behind his back to offer Cruz a fight against Garcia while claiming he had priced himself out. What’s more interesting is even Lopez had declined to fight against Garcia in the past.

Teofimo Lopez revealed why he declined to fight Garcia

On November 25, Teofimo Lopez appeared in an interview with Boxing News while ringside of the David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade fight. Lopez was offered a fight deal against Garcia by Golden Boy Promotions, but it did not live up to his expectations. While speaking to Andi Purewal, Lopez spilled the beans on his rejection of the offer.

“When you’re the best, when you are the guy, when you bring major sponsors, endorsements, big major business deals, when you offer me a 1.5 [million dollars] stake in the piece – f**k you,” exclaimed Lopez. Citing the low prize money as the culprit, Lopez confessed, “So, yeah, I declined the offer.” Later in the interview, Lopez also added that he wants to go global – in different countries. However, no such fights have been announced to date.

Also Read: Oscar de la Hoya vs Ryan Garcia: Is Promoter’s Decision Binding on Fighter?

Despite being, as Lopez claims, lowballed by Oscar De La Hoya in the past, Teofimo Lopez came to Oscar’s defense, prompting a response from Oscar filled with gratitude. However – who do you think is in the wrong here? Should Oscar have gone behind Romero to form a deal with Cruz? Did Romero take it too far with his comments?

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