Oscar De La Hoya issues caution on Ryan Garcia-Gervonta Davis fight

Apr 17, 2016; Long Beach, CA, USA; Oscar De La Hoya poses during the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of Long Beach. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The boxing world was buzzing on Thursday after both Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis announced via Instagram that they had agreed to fight next year. However, Oscar De La Hoya has issued a small cautionary message.

De La Hoya promotes Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) and wrote a note on Twitter about the fight.

“The fans have been crystal clear that the fight they want is Ryan versus Tank. Golden Boy Promotions and I are proud to be leading the drive to get this fight signed and are excited to get a deal finalized ASAP. It’s high time that those outside the ring stop getting in the way of those who want nothing more than to get into the ring and fight. Our motto has always been that the fans come first, and this is just another example of how we’re leading by example,” De La Hoya said in a statement released through his Twitter account.

What you’ll notice in his statement is that De La Hoya said that the fight was not yet signed or finalized.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger said the fight was set to take place in April at a 136-pound catchweight.

Despite the announcements, there are a few hurdles.

One is that Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is still scheduled to fight in January, so all has to go well there for him to be ready for a fight in April. The other is just what De La Hoya said: until the fighters have signed a contract, and finalize matters, nothing is definitive.

This is boxing, and far too often they fail to deliver on big fights. Just ask those who wanted to see Bud Crawford and Errol Spence fight.