LAS VEGAS – How come Oscar De La Hoya wasn't at the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn fight? Dana White isn't sure.
With Garcia still signed to Golden Boy Promotions, which co-promoted Saturday night's fight with Zuffa Boxing in partnership with The Ring, it was expected that De La Hoya would be part of fight week activities.
He was not.
Still, De La Hoya also was expected to be in attendance for the fight at T-Mobile Arena.
He was not.
During the event, veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported that De La Hoya was denied a credential by Zuffa Boxing and therefore entry into the building. While it's no secret that White hates De La Hoya and vice versa, the UFC boss insisted that was false and said he would've gone about things differently – if there was an issue.
"Let me explain something to you: I do not like De La Hoya, and De La Hoya does not like me," White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the post-fight news conference. "I would never disrespect him and say, 'Oh, if he shows up here, we treat him like sh*t.' I would call him on the phone and say, 'Hey, don't f*cking show up to this event because we're not going to treat you well.' That was not the case.
"Why he didn't show up, I don't know."
Garcia's reaction to De La Hoya missing his fight
White's denial leaves it a mystery why De La Hoya was a no-show. On Friday, he posted a zany video of himself in Las Vegas and promised he had "a surprise" for everyone.
Garcia, who defeated Benn by second-round TKO to retain his WBC title, wasn't sure what happened with his promoter.
"I thought he was going to be here," Garcia said of De La Hoya. "They told me that he had a seat, and I actually invited him to walk out with me. I thought that was going to be iconic, everyone asking where he was, and then just to have him walk out with me would've been special. But it is what it is. It didn't happen."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White denies banning Oscar De La Hoya from Garcia vs. Benn
