Jake Paul’s next opponent in the ring has been highly debated after defeating Mike Tyson by unanimous decision, but one boxer is very serious about making it happen.
In fact, Ryan Garcia vowed to end Paul’s entire boxing career if they could set something up.
“He was trying to beat up on Uncle Mike,” Garcia said on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday. “Like I said, the same way I feel about Manny Pacquiao, the same way I feel about this.
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“We said we could run it one day. He came to my gym a long time ago in Victorville, then he came to visit me with the Canelo [Alvarez] 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 already has a fight on the books for the end of this year, as he’s set to go against Rukiya Anpo in Tokyo on Dec. 30.
Anpo took on Manny Pacquiao back in July, which led Garcia to want to fight him. It’s a similar situation now with Garcia wanting to fight Paul.
However, Oscar De La Hoya, who owns Golden Boy Promotions which Garcia is signed under, laid down the hammer on Tuesday night regarding the boxer’s exhibition with Anpo.
“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights,” he posted on X. “The organizers of this event have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia.”
Garcia is still serving a one-year suspension, which expires in April 2025, after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine before his bout with Devin Haney, which was ruled no contest despite him winning in the ring.
The ban prevents Garcia from participating in professional boxing, though it’s the reason why he agreed to an exhibition, which isn’t considered a pro match.
Garcia went on a rollercoaster ride leading up to the Haney bout, with many questioning if he was even in the right headspace to be getting in a ring. Garcia broke down on live streams, claiming to be smoking marijuana and was criticized for his erratic behavior.
“I was going through a hard time in my life, and I’m thankful that I got through that moment in my life,” Garcia told Helwani. “I’m much more calm, and I think that’s the way I want to live — not so much craziness in my life. It’s not good for me.”
Now, if a Garcia-Paul fight were to get on the books, it would be interesting to see what weight class these two would fight at. Paul beefed up to fight Tyson in the sanctioned fight, and Garcia even said he would move up to 185 pounds if need be.
Garcia walks around at 165 to 170 pounds, though he said he planned to return to 140 or 147 pounds when he is able to resume his pro career.
Weight doesn’t matter for Garcia, though, as he’s confident he would have Paul on the canvas.
“If Jake fights the way he fought with Mike, I genuinely believe I would knock him out within four (or) five rounds,” Garcia said.
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