Golden Boy files suit against Ryan Garcia to enforce contract - ESPN

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions filed a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia and his attorney and advisor, Guadalupe Valencia, on Friday in U.S. District Court of Nevada to enforce its contract with the star boxer.

The suit comes one week after Garcia's legal team sent Golden Boy Promotions a demand letter alleging violations of the promotional agreement, as well as California and federal law, that invalidate the contract.

ESPN has obtained a copy of Golden Boy's lawsuit as well as Garcia's demand letter. The letter called for mediation proceedings to begin the week of July 10 if Golden Boy didn't cure all of the alleged contractual breaches and set a Friday deadline to address the alleged violations, but Golden Boy instead responded with a lawsuit.

«Golden Boy has been proud to have worked with Ryan Garcia for the last several years and to help catapult him to the kind of stardom that led to the biggest boxing Pay Per View event in years just two months ago,» the promotion said Friday in a statement provided to ESPN. «With this filing, we are seeking to ensure that Ryan and his team will honor the remainder of his contract, a contract that Ryan himself called 'one of the most lucrative boxing deals for a prospect in the history of the sport.'

»Since then, Ryan has moved on to becoming a legitimate contender, and we will continue to present Ryan with the best possible opponents that can eventually lead the way to a world championship and a historic legacy."

Reminiscent of Canelo Alvarez's legal dispute with Golden Boy in 2020, Garcia's letter suggests that Golden Boy entered conflicting agreements with its top boxer and its broadcast partner, DAZN.

When Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) signed an extension with Golden Boy in