LOS ANGELES — Oscar de la Hoya appeared open to the notion of matching one of his superstar boxers Ryan Garcia against the winner of the upcoming bout between Regis Prograis and Devin Haney.
Speaking to ProBox TV on Thursday, two days before he takes Golden Boy Promotions to the Kia Forum in Inglewood for a DAZN headliner involving Alexis Rocha and Giovani Santillan, de la Hoya called Garcia "the man" at super lightweight.
Earlier in the week, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn told ProBox TV and other reporters in San Francisco that a big fight beckons for the Haney-Prograis winner — and loves the idea of matching that fighter against Garcia.
"That's a very entertaining fight that I love," de la Hoya told us in Los Angeles.
Super lightweight is rife with talent because of the presence of fighters like Garcia, Haney, and Prograis, as well as Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor, Jose Ramirez, Subriel Matias, Jack Catterall, and Gary Antuanne Russell.
It's something not lost on de la Hoya.
"The 140-pound division is stacked, and it’s now the division where Garcia, even though he lost ot Tank Davis, is still the man at 140," he told us.
The Golden Boy boss told ProBox TV last month, when he was in Las Vegas for the cruiserweight bout involving Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez and Joe Smith, that a match involving Garcia and Top Rank star Lopez could become a 'Superbowl of boxing' fitting for a venue like The Sphere — a $2.3 billion venue that has captivated the attention of locals and tourists in Sin City.
"There are great fights to be made" throughout the division, he said.
Garcia returns to the ring December 2 against Oscar Duarte.
Though Duarte has fought at a level below Garcia and two of his best opponents Tank Davis and Luke Campbell, the Mexican fighter has finished 21 opponents from 26 wins, and has only lost once, making him a credible threat for Garcia.
"I'm really looking forward to Ryan’s fight with Oscar Duarte," de la Hoya told us. "It's a tough fight, and it's a dangerous fight.
"It’s a fight that Ryan didn't have to take, but he was willing to take even after getting knocked out from Tank, now fighting another knockout artist."
Rocha's welterweight fight against Santillan, and Garcia's duel in December against Duarte, will both air on DAZN.
