In one of the biggest wins of his professional career Garcia got in the face quickly and easily Conor Benn last night (September 12, 2026) inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite the high-profile nature of the card and the success of his athlete, De La Hoya was nowhere to be found on fight night, leading to speculation that UFC CEO Dana White had banned him from the event altogether.
Speculation that White vehemently denies.
“I don’t like De La Hoya and De La Hoya doesn’t like me,” White explained in the post-fight press conference. “I would never respect him and say, ‘Oh, if he shows up here, treat him like st.’ I called him on the phone and said, ‘King, don’t come to this event, because we’re not going to treat you well.’ That wasn’t the case. Why he didn’t show up, I don’t know.
It’s established that White and De La Hoya are longtime enemies, but part of White’s transition to boxing has seen him work both with and against promoters he doesn’t like. (ask Eddie Hearn). There is also anotherangle that could explain De La Hoya’s absence, as De La Hoya’s relationship with Garcia has been strained sometimes despite all the success they have achieved together.
After his big win, Garcia also reacted to De La Hoya’s absence.
“I thought he was coming here,” Garcia explained. “They told me he had a seat. I actually asked him to walk out with me, I thought it was going to be iconic. Everyone was asking me where he was for him to walk out with me, I think it would have been special, but it is.”
With just one fight left on Garcia’s Golden Boy contract, you’d think Oscar De La Hoya would be motivated to hang out with the WBC champion.
