Oscar De La Hoya has lined up a big show at The Cosmopolitan’s Chelsea Ballroom. One of the upcoming stars from the Golden Boy stable, Floyd Schofield, will take on the Mexican René Tellez Giron. The fight night promises a string of equally intriguing fixtures, including the one between the two Gabrielas—Gabriela Fundora and Gabriela Celeste Alaniz—for the flyweight undisputed championship. A few weeks from now, ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and William Zepeda will return. In the grand scheme of things, it’s been going great for De La Hoya.

But one thing lurks in the back of everyone’s mind. It’s about Golden Boy’s biggest star, Ryan Garcia. The young boxer is currently under suspension, which will end only by April 2025. Still, six more months to go. Despite the controversies surrounding his career, many diehard fans are eagerly looking forward to ‘KingRy’s return. Who’s he going to fight next? As each day passes, the curiosity surrounding the matter has been intensifying. However, the ‘Joker’, sorry, Oscar De La Hoya, might have some answers.

Oscar De La Hoya: A return everyone’s eager for

As De La Hoya doled out a pean to Eddie Hearn, Michelle Joy Phelps had to concede, “Well, I can’t say I’ve ever done an interview with the Joker before, so this is an honor.” The final press conference of the Schofield-Giron card accompanied Halloween. The former six-division champion felt it was time to don a creative hat. Taking inspiration from the late Heath Ledger‘s Oscar-winning role, he arrived as a ‘Joker’.

And did he look the part—Gotham City’s foreboding villain? As they caught up post-presser, Michelle Joy Phelps asked, “We’re now approaching 2025, and it’s not far away. Also, for Ryan Garcia’s return, there’s a lot of names being thrown out right now.”

De La Hoya shared that as of now there’s been no talk regarding Ryan Garcia’s comeback fight. However, he revealed that the former interim lightweight champion had resumed his training and was gradually getting back in shape.

“I have huge plans for Ryan, like huge that nobody can even think of. It’s going to be huge. The buildup back to his comeback I mean, we’re talking about months in the leadup to his fight because everybody wants to see him fight. He’s going to be bigger than ever when he comes back. So I have to be prepared, and we have to do it huge,” said Oscar De La Hoya.

Choices that lie ahead

A talk about Ryan Garcia wouldn’t go without mentioning Devin Haney. But the Barcelona Olympic gold medalist hinted that the rematch remains out of frame for now. Michelle Joy Phelps then shared that one of the matchups she and perhaps many would love watching will be one between Garcia and Teofimo Lopez. The ‘Joker’ promptly came alive. “Yeah, absolutely Teo; yeah. Ryan wants Teo.” However, he emphasized that KingRy basically wants to fight the best out there.

On his part, not long ago, Garcia had called out ‘The Takeover’. Otherwise, upon his return, the first thing to watch out for remains the weight. Whether Garcia decides to stick around at 140 pounds or go beyond. Notwithstanding the chances of a Haney rematch, he will then have to weigh in his options—whether to begin with some tune-up or, in his trademark style, barge in with a big showdown.

Do you feel the Teofimo Lopez-Ryan Garcia lineup makes for an interesting fight?