Ryan Garcia Blasts GBP At Presser, Oscar Counters on Social

If the fight is as interesting as the press conference, then fight fans will be buzzing Saturday night when Ryan Garcia takes on Oscar Duarte in Houston, topping a Golden Boy card screening on DAZN.

Is interesting the right word?

Cringe-y works too. Entertaining, unless you were Bernard Hopkins.

Hopkins spoke up at the media gathering, and mostly spoke on the undercard. He alluded to Ryan, probably, to what degree only he knows, when he said that boxing calls your bluff.

The Buildup To The Beef

Hardcore fight fans know that Ryan and Oscar/Golden Boy have done their share of beefing over the years.

In fact, they are tied up in a court case, with Ryan looking to curtail his time with GBP.

The beefing went to next level during the Thursday presser, which featured Garcia throwing hard barbs at the company.

Was he thinking he would do that leading up to the session…or did he get a little irked when Oscar built up the “B side,” Duarte?

The fighting with words has been heated, will the fight Saturday live up to the fight week buzz?

Oscar didn’t go overboard, I don’t think, but there’s a history of enmity, so this felt pent up on the part of Ryan, who is moving to 140 from 135.

Oscar even lauded Ryan for choosing Duarte as his first fight back from the Gervonta loss.

Duarte, out of Chihuahua, Mexico, said that that he’d win, in Spanish, and thanked folks for the opportunity. Then Ryan came to the mic, and it was ON.

Ryan Garcia Looked Tan, Confident and Sounded Ready To Fight

He thanked God and asked that “the Holy Spirit” be present in that room. Then, thunder.

He put Bernard Hopkins on blast, for having weighed in on whether or not Ryan should continue boxing after David stopped him out.

Oscar’s eyes darted, you could see as he stood behind Ryan that he wasn’t pleased as to how this was going. “He don’t decide that,” Ryan said, his coaches and him do, talking about his decision to fight on.

No, Ryan said, there haven’t been mis-interpretations, he thinks that Oscar and Bernard want Duarte to win.

Same as when they they put him against Romero Duno, he asserted.

Oscar shifted his weight and looked away from Ryan’s back. “I’m laser focused for this fight,” the boxer declared.

Later, Oscar referenced this, with a post to social which indicated his level of dismay at Garcias’ dressing down.

Yeah, Oscar held his tongue at the presser. But he got off a sharp shot at Ryan, which some might see as a low blow.

Ryan Garcia Refers To 2008 Bernard Hopkins Race-Based Insult

Hopkins got the worst of it, however. Ryan Garcia came back to him, and busted his chops for having said that he’d never lose to a white boy..and then he got stopped out by Joe Smith.

Older fans recall Hopkins yelled that “I will never let a white boy beat me” to Joe Calzaghe before their 2008 encounter, in which the white guy got the nod. And, as Garcia “kindly” noted, the light skinned Smith knocked Hopkins clean out of the ring.

Bernard Hopkins… he’s not gonna wanna come out of retirement to challenge Ryan Garcia, is he?

“They” are lying about him, he said, referring to Oscar and Hopkins.

Ryan Garcia thanked Jesus and Oscar went to the mic and said the presser is over, thank you.

THIS isn’t over.

During the stare down, you had Hopkins behind Duarte, literally. Hopkins stared acid eyes at 25 year old Ryan, who glared at Duarte while seething over Oscar, 50, and Bernard, 58, who surrounded him.

Hey, guess what: THIS was promotion, friends. Drama was in the air, as watchers looked at Hopkins, wondering if he might continue the discussion with Ryan Garcia, closer and perhaps in heated fashion. He didn’t follow up at that time.

You don’t think part of Oscar is OK with it all, being that there is 3X more buzz for this fight now than there was the day before?

Pressers are most often boring AF. This presser, well, I don’t remember a hype session which unfolded like this.