By Jeff Aronow: Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) wants to face unbeaten lightweight contender Ryan Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) in 2020, and he’s willing even to face him behind-closed-doors, according to his adviser Jose De La Cruz.
Ryan is tentatively scheduled to fight on July 4 against a still to be determined opponent. From the sounds of it, Linares would like to be the guy that Ryan faces on that date if the event isn’t canceled because of the pandemic.
Ryan needs a high visible opponent for his 4th of July fight, and Linares would be perfect. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Instead of Linares, Ryan will probably face another fringe contender like the ones he’s been facing in the last year.
In Ryan’s last three fights, he’s obliterated Romero Duno, Francisco Fonseca, and Jose Lopez. All fringe level guys that weren’t much of a threat to Ryan.
Reynoso wants Ryan to get more experience
Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions were both interested in making the Ryan Garcia vs. Jorge Linares fight for this summer. However, Ryan’s trainer Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez, has put the brakes on those plans.
Reynoso wants to play it safe by letting the 21-year-old Ryan get more experience before he allows him to fight Linares. This is the same approach that Canelo Alvarez used with Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo waited until Golovkin was 35-years-old before facing him, and even then, he got lucky with the scoring of the fight by the judges in their first fight.
The former three-division world champion Linares will be turning 35-years-old this summer on August 22, and he doesn’t want to wait until 2021 or later to face Ryan.
If Reynoso and Golden Boy wait too long before matching Ryan against Linares, he won’t get credit, and it’ll be pointless to make the fight. Linares suffered a first-round knockout last year in January 2019 in a loss to Pablo Cesar Cano.
If Linares loses again, Ryan will have missed his opportunity to face him. Ryan will look ridiculous in the eyes of the fans if he faces Linares in two or three more years.
Linares ready to fight Ryan Garcia in 2020
“100-percent,” Linares’ adviser De La Cruz said to ESPN about wanting to face Ryan Garcia next, even behind closed doors. “Jorge will be 35 in August. We know where we stand. I know for a fact Oscar (De La Hoya) wants it,” said De La Cruz.
Golden Boy did their part to set-up interest in a Ryan Garcia vs. Jorge Linares clash by having both guys compete on the same card earlier this year on February 14 in Anaheim, California. Ryan destroyed an over-matched Francisco Fonseca by a first-round knockout, while Linares blasted out Carlos Morale in four rounds.
What was interesting about Linares’ fight is how easily he took care of one of Ryan’s former opponents in 30-year-old Morales (19-5-4, 8 KOs), who gave him all kinds of problems in 2018. Ryan defeated Morales by a narrow 10 round majority decision in a clash that could have gone the other way.
The way that Linares effortlessly dispatched Morales signaled to some that Ryan might not be ready for the still dangerous Argentinian.
Shortly after that, Ryan’s farther Henry Garcia began talking down the fight with Linares, saying that his son wouldn’t get credit for beating him due to his age. While Henry does have a point, the fact that he started with the age talk after Linares’ destruction of Morales suggests that he’s got serious concerns about whether Ryan is up to the job.
With Reynoso saying that he doesn’t want ‘Kingry’ Ryan to face Linares yet, it takes the heat off Henry Garcia, allowing him to be the guy that is criticized by fans for holding up his career.