De La Hoya Suggests Possible Ryan Garcia Vs. Vergil Ortiz Fight, But Is It A Smart Move?

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya took to social media today asking his fans to pick a winner between Ryan Garcia and Vergil Ortiz Jr.

A Bad Move for Ryan Garcia?

De La Hoya may be considering an internal fight between Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) and Vergil (21-0, 21 KOs) because both are with Golden Boy Promotions.

It doesn't make sense for Ryan to take this fight because Vergil, 26, has never won a world title, and is not popular compared to the other 154 fighters.

If Ryan, 25, was to face someone from the junior middleweight division, Vergil would not be the one to face. He will be helping him by making him more popular, but it's not a fight that will be sold on PPV.

“Thoughtfully, who wins at 154, Vergil Ortiz or Ryan Garcia?” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya to X.

Size Discrepancy Concerns

Vergil has a much larger frame than Ryan, which may account for the size discrepancy between them. Ryan should fight welterweights, not junior middleweights, if he returns to the ring after his one-year ban ends in April 2025. Ortiz is 154 or 160, but not Ryan Garcia.

It would be better for De La Hoya to split Ryan and Ortiz so that they have two streams of income than to compete and watch one lose. If De La Hoya wishes to turn Vergil into a star, there are better ways to do it than to raid the lower weight classes for popular fighters to use.

Unfortunately, De La Hoya has his work cut out for him in trying to turn Vergil Ortiz into a star because he doesn't have a huge social media presence, and he's had a series of health issues that have kept him out of the ring.

Vergil lacks charisma and doesn't seem like someone who can capture and stick to a subject. He was badly injured in his fight with Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and would have been taken out if the man had not released the gas.

Ortiz's Critical Test

Ortiz has a tough fight ahead of him against interim WBC junior middleweight champion Serhii Bohachuk (24-1, 23 KOs) on August 10 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. That will be difficult for Vergil because Bohachuk knows how to fight, and he won't be separated like the two runners he fought against earlier this year.

When his suspension ends, Ryan Garcia could make more money in a rematch with Devin Haney next year. There will be a lot of fan interest in the second fight between Ryan and Haney. It's a much better PPV fight than Ryan taking on Vergil Ortiz. That's the fight where Vergil will ride Ryan's coattails.