On July 16, Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) dominated the former WBA featherweight world champion, Javier Fortuna, beat the Dominican three times on his way to the sixth knockout round, at Crypto.com Arena, California.
Garcia is a polarizing figure among fighting fans: he’s the next big guy, or an Instagram model masquerading as a boxer. In this show, he seems to be the first, not the latter. No one could defeat Fortuna as definitively as ‘KingRy’ did.
Of course, there are caveats – this is boxing, there’s always a caveat. At 33 and 42 years old, in a career spanning 13 years, it’s safe to say that Fortuna’s best days are behind him. Also, the fight was planned by Fortuna’s team at the ultralight limit of 140 lbs, as they believed their fighter would struggle to reach 135 lbs in five weeks.
However, you can only beat what’s in front of you, and Garcia certainly saw some part in doing so. This will require larger tests to assess how high the 23-year-old’s ceiling is. Thankfully, if you believe the post-match claims, it looks like Garcia is ready to take on the best in the world.
Here are five boxers Garcia could face next:
Gervonta Davis (27-0, 25 KOs)
Let’s start with the big one. The couple have been calling each other on social media for a few years now, and ‘Tank’ was the first fighter to be named by Garcia immediately after his victory.
However, the storm is not easy to make. Davis fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner and has a broadcast contract with Showtime, while Garcia is advertised by Golden Boy Promotions and boxes on DAZN.
Such problems have been insurmountable in similar situations in the past, when each boxer’s broadcaster would offer pay-per-view combat. That has always been the case between rival broadcasters, it remains to be seen whether such a deal can be reached with a streaming platform like DAZN.
Oh, and if matters weren’t complicated enough, Garcia made it clear his intentions were to be super light, stating:
“I won’t drop to 135 (lbs) for nothing, but I will fight the next ‘Tank’. If Tank wants it at 140 (lbs)… Hey, I’ll record all the negotiations so you guys don’t make headlines I’m ignoring. If he wants it, take it.”
Davis has competed in the ultralightweight division in the past, stopping Mario Barrios from being 11order WBA “Regular” belt, last year. This fight is unlikely to come next, but the money talks, and there will be a lot of horror created by the duel between two of the most exciting young boxers in the world.
Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs)
Another member of the lightweight ‘Four Kings’ that everyone was so excited about last year, you know, the four didn’t fight each other. Garcia seems determined to change that, or at least, wants to be watched trying to get results.
‘KingRy’ stated in his post-match press conference that if Davis’s game doesn’t happen next, he wants Lopez, stating:
“If that fight for some reason doesn’t happen, which I don’t see it happening, but if it doesn’t, then I want to fight Teofimo Lopez at 140 (lbs).”
Some why the war of ‘Tank’ didn’t happen? I can give you 10 reasons, Ryan. Anyway, let’s focus on Lopez’s duel. A clash between Garcia and Lopez has similar obstacles to overcome as the one in Davis, just replace PBC with Top Rank and Showtime with ESPN.
Former undisputed lightweight champion, Lopez, will return to the ring for the first time since a shock defeat to George Kambosos last year, when he faces Pedro Campa, in the welterweight division, next month.
It remains to be seen whether Lopez ultimately intends to drop to 140lbs. Garcia is either an optimist who believes that the best promoters, broadcasters and divisions should not be banned, or someone who wants credit for demanding matches that fans want to see, know that there is little or no chance of them happening.
I’ll let you think about that for yourself.
Jorge Linares (47-7, 29 KOs)
Now, this feels a little more realistic.
The three-weight world champion, Linares, is over 36 years old, but still dangerous; as he showed with his screen in defeat to Devin Haneylast year.
For all his attacking prowess, Linares is very vulnerable in defense and it is that fragility, combined with the Venezuelan’s achievements that could make him an attractive option for the team. by Garcia. If ‘KingRy’ really intends to stay at 140 lbs, that won’t be an insurmountable barrier to finishing the match against Linares.
The former champion had competed in ultralightweight before, albeit with disastrous results, when he was held back by Pablo Cesar Cano in the opening round.
Linares was previously advertised by Golden Boy Promotions, which should make any potential deal easier. Promoters like to use results against conventional opponents to bolster their claim that “Fighter A” is better than “Fighter B”.
Linares can help add that the story gave Haney the toughest fight of his career to date.
If Garcia decides to drop back down to 135lbs, beating Linares more convincingly than the man who currently owns all the lightweight titles will help generate more hype.
Joseph Diaz (32-2-1, 15 KOs)
Before Garcia announced his intention to stay at 140lbs, London 2012 Olympian Diaz could very well be ‘KingRy,’ next opponent and he still could be.
At this stage, it’s hard to say whether Garcia’s claims are true. Golden Boy Promotion has more options for the rising star in light rather than super light. Perhaps, Garcia has entered a phase of his career where he can create his own weight classes as Canelo Alvarez has done at various times.
Regardless of whether it’s at 135 lbs, 5 pounds north, or something in between, Diaz will be another solid test to help Garcia grow his career.
Diaz has previously held featherweight and super featherweight titles, has never been stopped and won against Javier Fortuna, Tevin Farmer and Rene Alvarado. Diaz also had a high self-esteem when he challenged Devin Haney for the WBC lightweight belt, last December.
Americans will serve a similar purpose as Linares, but at age 29, there are fewer miles on the clock. Both men were signed to Golden Boy Promotion, so a duel could easily be made.
Maxi Hughes (25-5-2, 5 KOs)
The current IBO lightweight champion won’t be a popular pick, but one that can have its uses.
If Garcia returns to lightweight, his path to the world title won’t be a straight one, as all four major penalty body belts are held by Devin Haney, who was promoted to Top Rank. holding. As stated before, promotional deals and television are often major obstacles.
However, Haney has previously talked about her desire to add an IBO strap to her collection. Would ‘The Dream’ have the same appeal if the title was owned by Garcia? Hughes and his manager, Andrew ‘Stefy’ Bull, have publicly called for the fight.
Hughes would be a major underdog, but that’s been the case for most of his career – it’s a role he’s enjoyed. Hughes signed with Matchroom, the stable of which also fights on DAZN. There are fewer obstacles preventing this.
