During today’s official announcement of an August 1 fight between Lamont Roach vs William Zepeda, Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya spoke about the matchup while also touching on some other fights he’s got in the works, including a potential fight between Tank Davis vs Floyd Schofield, and more. Here are some highlights of what De La Hoya had to say below.
De La Hoya on Roach vs Zepeda
“Look, Lamont is coming off a draw with a very gifted fighter like Pitbull Cruz. Coming off a draw is only going to make Lamont look that much
stronger, better, wiser, faster. He’s going to come in with a great plan. But William Zepeda coming off that loss, which there’s no shame [to lose to] Stevenson…When you have to fighters coming off a draw and a loss, you’re going to see those fighters in their next fight be more explosive, adjust to what they couldn’t do in their previous fights. So you’re going to see a very competitive fight and I’m calling this here Fight of the Year.
“I think the difference is going to be the motivation that both guys have…When you’re coming off a draw and a loss that you thought you won against Tank Davis, you’re motivation is through the roof, no doubt about that…Zepeda is coming off a great loss against Stevenson who’s maybe arguably one of the best top fighters out there in the planet today, and gave him a run for his money.
“So I do feel that the confidence level that both guys are going to have going into the ring August 1 is going to be through the roof.”
On working on a Tank Davis vs Floyd Schofield
“We’re now talking about Tank possibly being in the picture once again as the guy. You got [Floyd] Schofield who now is in the running…Look, Tom Brown and Eric [Gomez] from Golden Boy are in talks and we’re waiting for a proposal, which should happen in the next few days. But, look, that’s a fight that Floyd always wanted. That’s a fight that I believe Tank Davis will be very motivated make happen. It’s a great fight. Floyd, people have see him fight, he’s performed very well. He’s surprised a lot of people and this is a natural fight for him next.
“So the fact that the WBA ordered this fight and we can make it happen very soon is music to my ears. And this is one of those fights that fight fans will really, really fall in love with.”
On whether Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn is official
“Nothing’s official just quite yet. I’ve been hearing rumblings and look, the bottom line is Conor Benn is with Zuffa, Conor Benn is promoted by Zuffa and Dana White, so we have been hearing rumblings that there’s negotiations and this and that — well, we’re Ryan’s promoter and we haven’t heard anything so I’m waiting for that phone call whether it’s from Dana White or whether it’s from somebody in charge over there on the other side.
“I believe that’s a fight that Ryan wants and if Ryan wants that fight, me as his promoter, I have to grant his wish and work with every promoter, just like I’ve always done. If I have to work with Dana White, so be it.”
On why Garcia announced the Benn fight if there’s nothing official
“Well, what’s happening is typical fighters that are eager, they want to fight a certain guy, they announce it on their social media platforms and they go on shows announcing it and not know we still have work to do — which is fine because if it’s a fight that you want then that’s the fight we’re going to get you. That’s the bottom line.”
