I previously believed that Ryan Garcia was all about his image and hype.
Before the Luke Campbell fight in 2021, I was confident that Luke would defeat him. I had seen a few of Garcia’s earlier fights where he had defeated opponents who were not at his level. Luke, on the other hand, was a very skilled fighter who had performed well against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares. With his experience, I was sure he would beat Garcia. However, he was caught with a powerful body shot and lost the fight.
I acknowledged that he must have something special to stop Luke Campbell, even though he was not in his prime. However, in the Gervonta Davis fight, I felt that Garcia’s performance did not meet the elite level. He made a lot of errors and his boxing IQ was not on par with Davis. After being caught with a body shot in round seven, which ended the fight, I believed he could have gotten back up.
He is a world-class fighter, well-marketed, and could potentially become a world champion, but not an undisputed or great fighter of this era. While he has good power and speed, he makes too many mistakes to be considered one of the elite fighters. Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Jack Catterall, Josh Taylor, and Regis Prograis would all defeat him comfortably.
The Chantelle Cameron-Katie Taylor rematch was an exciting fight.
Last week, I predicted the same result as last time, but it was not the case. I give credit to both fighters. Chantelle fought on despite a terrible cut. With the adrenaline and focus on the fight, she likely put the pain out of her mind, but she must have felt it with every shot landed. A third fight between them would be significant. While it would be a big event anywhere, it would likely take place in Ireland due to Katie’s popularity. However, it would be nice to see the fight in England, on Chantelle’s home turf. If not, I would like to see Katie fight Amanda Serrano again. Their first fight was impressive, and a rematch would be a spectacular event.
If Katie had lost, I would have considered advising her to retire. She is now a two-weight undisputed champion and is considered the greatest female fighter. However, her strong performance may make it difficult for her to walk away. The decision is hers to make.
The David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade fight was entertaining. I have high regard for Andrade’s skills and slick style. I wish he had faced some of the opponents we hoped to see him fight, such as Billy Joe Saunders. Benavidez’s size and strength were dominant, and a fight with Canelo has the potential to be a brilliant spectacle. I would be more excited about that than Fury vs. Usyk.