Oscar De La Hoya rips into Dana White and Zuffa Boxing in explosive Ariel Helwani interview

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya has continued his long-running feud with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White ahead of Ryan Garcia's WBC welterweight title defence against Conor Benn in September.

De La Hoya is Garcia's promoter and is on a collision course with White as the bout in Las Vegas draws closer.

British fighter Benn is now part of Zuffa Boxing, the promotion co-founded by the UFC boss and Saudi Arabian investor and fight-maker Turki Alalshikh, who is underwriting the fight.

11-time world champion De La Hoya insists that his Golden Boy promotion is involved in promoting the event despite Garcia, a Golden Boy fighter, seemingly acting somewhat outside what has by all accounts become a tense relationship.

De La Hoya was not involved in the press conference two weeks ago, during which White was at centre-stage in the middle of a furious verbal row that saw Garcia and Benn kept apart by security.

"I wasn't even aware of it!" revealed De La Hoya in an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, which also hosted Garcia last week.

"And that's what they do. That's what these people do. They try to slip one under me...

"I really do believe they are trying to keep me away from Dana because they know what's going to happen.

"Look, obviously I'm not going to punch anybody but they're trying to keep everything from me and we all know Ryan Garcia is a Golden Boy fighter and this is a Golden Boy event, and this is a Zuffa event because Turki bought the event and he included Zuffa because obviously Conor is a Zuffa fighter now.

"Let's all work together. Everything will be fine. Don't be afraid!"

"Front and centre, I will be here. I cannot wait."

Pushed by Helwani, De La Hoya agreed that Garcia himself should have informed and included him.

While there have been signs of a rocky relationship, the legendary champion is relentlessly glowing about his fighter and backs him wholeheartedly to knock Benn out on September 12 in front of a packed Vegas crowd that could include an estimated 20,000 British fight fans.

"How f***ing petty are these guys not to include me and to make sure I'm not on stage," said De La Hoya.

"What, are they afraid that I'm going to sock Dana in the nose?"

Zuffa Boxing held three events in September 2025 before starting 2026 with Zuffa Boxing 01 in January.

The promotion has largely been active in Nevada but has visited London and Bournemouth in its short life.

Zuffa Boxing 09 took the promotion to Madison Square Garden for the first time on Sunday, with Dublin next on the schedule before the blockbuster Garcia vs Benn fight for the welterweight belt.

De La Hoya was among the voices that opposed the legislation that paved the way for the formation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs) that operate outside the jurisdiction of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF.

White and TKO Group, the parent company of Zuffa Boxing and the UFC, were the driving force behind the bill.