Newly-crowned American champion called out by titlist from Britain.
The things that make Ryan Garcia a good fighter have never been in question. His left hook has always been the thing of nightmares, yet left many dreaming. His speed of hand has always made him look like a many-armed beast of Hindu mythology.
Yet for the longest of time, it seemed like he couldn’t put everything together on the right night.
It started with his long-awaited fight with Gervonta Davis, a special event that may have been the catalyst for the superfights that followed.
Garcia was expected to lose by most, but in April of 2023, he was dropped twice and well-beaten. A fight expected to be competitive was anything but, and his ability was put into question.
He would stop Oscar Duarte later that year, a win that has since aged quite well. But in April of 2024, he would take on Devin Haney, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
By this point, everyone knows of Garcia’s pre-fight antics, dominating performance, failed drug tests, and one-year ban that followed. This was in addition to his win being overturned to a no-contest.
When he returned a year later (after some online behaviour that rubbed many people up the wrong way), he would lose to Rolando Romero.
‘Rolly’ had been an underdog heading in, and Garcia losing to him in such a spectacle was deemed a sign that without any extra help, he wasn’t that good.
But on Saturday, Garcia closed the mouths of many, as he put on an absolutely faultless display to give Mario Barrios a pasting and win the WBC welterweight title.
At long last, ‘King Ry’ had a real crown to place on his head.
In the days following, Garcia has been linked to several opponents for his next fight, but now a surprise name has thrown his hat into the ring.
Josh Kelly became the IBF super-welterweight champion by beating Bakhram Murtazaliev a few weeks ago. It was a performance that surprised many, and Kelly has put his name forward as Garcia’s next foe in what the Sunderland fighter has dubbed the “battle of the pretty boys”.
Watched the @RyanGarcia fight thought it was a great performance, want a chance at becoming two weight world champion I’ll be waiting ⏳battle of the pretty boys baby 🤷🏽💯🙏🏽 #fyp #boxing
— Josh Kelly 🥊 (@JOSHPBK) February 24, 2026
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