“Would Never Disrespect Teofimo Like That”: Oscar De La Hoya Shuns Rumors of Him Offering $1.5 Million to Teofimo Lopez to Fight Ryan Garcia

Last June, Teofimo Lopez secured a stunning upset victory over Josh Taylor, clinching both the WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles. The electrifying bout unfolded against the backdrop of a contentious press tour marked by Lopez’s provocative behavior, including a shocking death threat. The tension between the two fighters escalated to the point where Taylor walked out of an event.

Josh Taylor even refused to engage with Lopez on the microphone. After this ruckus in his last matchup, Lopez has been strangled in another drama involving Ryan Garcia. However, recently Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya addressed the issue with Teofimo Lopez and denied any involvement with such an offer.

Oscar De La Hoya calls the offer bulls**t

The Golden Boy Promotions head honcho finally put the debate to rest. Oscar De La Hoya talked about the supposed offer of $1.5 million offered to Teofimo Lopez while revealing that they never made such an offer to Lopez and even claimed that such an offer would be disrespectful to the fighter especially if they wanted him to be contested against their star pugilist Ryan Garcia.

De La Hoya said, “And this is actually the first time I will respond to it. We never made an offer to Teofimo. We just never did. We would never lowball, we would never disrespect Teofimo and offer him a 1.5, that’s ridiculous. And I know that’s not coming from us. I love Teofimo, I love his father, his father’s amazing,”

Furthermore, he said, “But just so they know, and everybody knows, I never ever will disrespect Teofimo and offer him 1.5 million to fight Ryan Garcia. It’s literally bulls**t.” However, Teofimo Lopez talked about how he had been offered only $1.5 million for the fight against Garcia. He also claimed that he had declined the offer because of its low value.

Where it all began

Following his attendance at the David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade event on November 25, Teofimo Lopez expressed his displeasure with the financial terms of an offer he received, feeling insulted by the proposed terms. In a candid statement to reporters, Lopez asserted his status as the best in the game, highlighting major sponsors, endorsements, and substantial business deals. The reported offer, a $1.5 million stake, prompted a blunt response from Lopez: “So yeah, I declined the offer.”

Read More: Boxing Updates: Teofimo Lopez To Defend WBO Title Against Jamaine Ortiz: Date, Venue, And Much More

He left a veil of mystery regarding whether it originated from Lopez’s promoter, Top Rank, or Garcia’s Golden Boy. Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy’s founder, had expressed a desire for a Garcia vs. Lopez matchup over Super Bowl weekend in February 2024, something that even interested Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

It remains to be seen whether there are any developments regarding this fight between Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia. What are your thoughts about this? Tell us in the comments section.

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