Garcia inks five-year extension to remain with Golden Boy

Money does not always equal happiness, but for Ryan Garcia, it was enough for him to remain with Golden Boy Promotions following a tumultuous week.

Golden Boy announced that Garcia had signed a five-year contract extension and that his next fight will take place as the chief support of the Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight world title bout on Nov. 2 (DAZN) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Terms of the five-year deal were not disclosed.

Garcia, who still had a couple of years remaining on his original deal, was pleased with the outcome.

"Actions speak louder than words," Garcia said of the extension. "I'm here today to show everybody that I consider Golden Boy my family and that we're going to be in this together as I fulfill my dreams. Just like I have all the capabilities to become a big star, Golden Boy has all the tools to get me there. But I just want to tell all of our fans: Enjoy the ride!"

Those comments are in stark contrast to what Garcia had said about the company in recent days.

Garcia (18-0, 15 KO’s), 21, of Victorville, California, the 2017 FightNights.com Prospect of the Year, was scheduled to face Avery Sparrow in the chief support of junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia's defense against Patrick Allotey this past Saturday Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

However, when Sparrow failed to show up at the weigh-in, things spiraled from bad to worse.

Sparrow was arrested in a Southern California Target parking lot the morning of the weigh-in on an outstanding warrant due to a gun charge in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Golden Boy tried to save the fight and wanted Garcia to face Romero Duno, who was slated to fight Ivan Delgado on the undercard. Duno was ready to fight and Golden Boy was prepared to pay step-aside money to Delgado.

But Garcia turned down the fight unless he was offered a fraction more money to face Duno on short notice. Golden Boy refused, but the drama did not end there.

Garcia was infuriated after Golden Boy President Eric Gomez declared to The Athletic that he declined to fight Duno because he was “too tough.”

Gomez later clarified that it was not Garcia that made the comment, but trainer Eddy Reynoso — who also trains Alvarez — who made the decision for his boxer not to face Duno. However, multiple outlets had already published stories with the original comment. Garcia was indignant.

"You'll do anything to make the blame on me! I had no clue Avery had a warrant! He got arrested! The card [is at] risk because I sold [tickets] and got the viewers," Garcia wrote on social media after reading reports online. "Remember when I didn't have value! Now a bulls***story comes out that I'm scared of Duno! Peanuts I've been given and guess what ..."

Golden Boy also tried to match the lightweight with former world title challenger Petr Petrov in a 140-pound bout. But Garcia declined to fight Petrov, also.

"My promoter acted in a very unprofessional manner [pattern at this point], saying things that were false about me," Garcia wrote. "I'm a fighter and not afraid to fight anyone!!! My team tried tirelessly to negotiate a fair purse amount to save the show, but my promoter has shown little interest in my career. I promise I tried for my fans. But like all things in life, I'm staying positive and will come back soon."

Garcia was also upset by comments Oscar De La Hoya, the Golden Boy CEO, made to the Los Angeles Times in a column published Monday.

"Is he my best young fighter? No. Maybe next to Vergil Ortiz. Vergil Ortiz is the real deal. Ryan is in a very unique situation because of his social media following. The fact that he has so many followers is great, but it hasn't transcended over to boxing. It just hasn't. That's the bottom line.

"So how do we do that? He has to win a world title. And who knows how to get him there? I do. Don't listen to all these voices in your ear telling you, 'Hey, you have 3 million followers. You're supposed to be getting paid this much.' Don't listen to them. Just trust the process, and you will get there."

Garcia fired back at his boss on social media on Monday.

"I don't even want to speak about this stuff anymore but Oscar call me for real and stop going to the press! We haven't talked at all," Garcia wrote. "I want the best fights, I'm 21, I have the drive to be even better and I will continue to get better and fight the best fighters.

"Oscar if you don't believe in my talents then you can release me elsewhere. Point blank period! If you do then come talk to me. Please no more press and public bashing."