Oscar De La Hoya Wants Ryan Garcia to ‘Take the Whole Year Off’

In conversation with Sean Zittel, De La Hoya urged the dire need for Garcia to take a break to re-emerge as a better fighter.

“I’d like for Ryan to take the whole year off, getting his mind straight, getting it comfortable where it feels good,” he said.“There’s nothing lost for him. He has injuries, and he has to get those fixed.”

Notably, Garcia recently underwent surgery on his right hand. The injury occurred during his training camp. However, he chose to forego it to prevent the fight from being postponed, opting to use cortisone injections instead. This, in turn, led to the exacerbation of the injury during the fight.

Injury aside, De La Hoya also feels that Garcia’s career and performances will go on a downward spiral if he does not take time off to heal and refocus.

“I think, more importantly, he has to get his life in order because I’m pretty sure, because I’ve lived it, that everyone is tugging him left and right, including family,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but you’ve got to be able to take a deep breath, step back, and reassess your life and put it all in order again. This is my opinion. I hope he takes that year off.”

“Will Be Back In The Fall”

Garcia’s manager, Guadalupe Valencia, on the other hand, is certain that he’ll be back in action in a few months. Talking to USA Today, Valencia revealed that the injury was an issue during the fight, but he is on a path of recovery and would be making a comeback soon.

“He is feeling good and positive and will be back in the fall,” he said. “When Ryan is well, he will be back and will have an elite-level performance. This past fight vs. Romero is a minor setback. Ryan at 100% is unbeatable.”