Boxing titleholder Ryan Garcia, like many others in his sport, is no stranger to trash talk and calling out other fighters. For his next big match, he wants to go up against another young rising star who currently has a lot of eyes on him: Jake Paul.
Garcia shared his excitement about the potential bout in a Nov. 26 appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.
"It would be huge," the California native said. "I see it everywhere. Everywhere I go, people are asking me to fight Jake Paul. I've got to give the people what they want; that's what I'm used to doing."
Paul emerged victorious from his fight against the former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson earlier this month—a matchup that Garcia likened to the matchup between 29-year-old Rukiya Anpo of Japan and the legendary Manny Pacquiao earlier this summer.
"I saw this dude way bigger than Manny Pacquiao and way younger, just beating up—well, trying to beat up—on him," Garcia mused. "Just throwing haymakers the whole fight and just being obnoxious in the ring. I was like, 'Oh my God, dude. If they give me a chance, I'll knock this dude out.'" The same goes for Paul against Tyson.
"He was trying to beat up on Uncle Mike," Garcia said. "Like I said, the same way I feel about Manny Pacquiao, the same way I feel about this."
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After testing positive for a banned substance back in April, Garcia's New York State professional boxer license was suspended, limiting the kinds of fights he can participate in. Still, he wants to get in the ring with Paul, as he believes it'll be an easy challenge after watching the highly anticipated fight earlier this month.
"If Jake fights the way he fought with Mike, I genuinely believe I would knock him out within four [or] five rounds," Garcia boasted. "We said we would run it one day. He came to my gym a long time ago in Victorville, then he came to visit me with the Canelo [Álvarez] camp—this is before he boxed. So I kind of gave birth to his boxing career, so I'm here to end it. That's it."
Garcia's next match is an exhibition bout against Anpo on Dec. 30 in Tokyo. The suspension on Garcia's New York State professional boxer license lifts April 20, 2025.
