By Matt Lieberman: Ryan Garcia sent a message to Luke Campbell, warning him that he’s coming for him to take the interim WBC lightweight title when they fight in November.
Campbell (20-3, 16 K.O.s) didn’t have much to say about Ryan’s warning other than to make light of it by saying, “We shall see.”
Garcia (20-0, 17 K.O.s) announced last week that he had signed his portion of the contract to face the 32-year-old Campbell in the World Boxing Council ordered 135-pound fighting November.
Ryan Garcia = another Jeff Lacy?
As of now, Garcia, 22, and Campbell will be fighting behind closed doors at a still to be determined venue in Southern California.
November is a little too early to expect crowds to be allowed back for boxing events. The earliest that fans will be allowed back is believed to be December, and that’s in the U.K., not in the U.S.
Campbell has the advantage of experience over Ryan, but he can’t overlook him. Ryan’s left hook is easily the best in the 135-pound division, and he’s already being compared to Jeff ‘Left-hook’ Lacy with that punch.
Even if Ryan does turn out to be another Lacy, he can still beat Campbell if lands that shot. We’ve already seen Campbell hit the deck against three fighters:
- Vasiliy Lomachenko
- Yvan Mendy
- Argenis Mendez
Ryan punches harder than all of those fighters with either hand, and he’s got the power to KO Campbell at any time if he lands cleanly.
Unfortunately, the comparisons to Lacy are more to do with Garcia being one-dimensional on offense with the way he focused almost exclusively on his left hook to win his fights, which is how Lacy fought.
In terms of hand speed, Ryan is the edge against Campbell. To win, Campbell will need to make sure that Ryan doesn’t connect with his left hook on the bottom because he’s lethal with that punch and capable of knocking out anybody.
Thankfully for Campbell, the Golden Boy Promotions star ‘King’ Ryan doesn’t have an equally mighty right hand.
Cute, I remember my first big fight…we will see 👊 https://t.co/uMjN3lmdhk
— Luke Campbell MBE (@luke11campbell) August 26, 2020
Is Ryan Garcia just an Instagram sensation?
Some boxing fans believe the only thing Ryan Garcia has going for him is his massive six million following on social media on Instagram and Twitter.
The fans undervalue what Ryan has accomplished both in the amateur and the pro ranks, even though Devin Haney has already come forward to say that he’s the real deal.
Due to his inexperience, people view Garcia as someone popular because of the way he looks rather than what he’s accomplished. For Ryan to change that perception, he’s got to defeat the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Campbell, and then conquer WBC 135lb champion Haney (24-0, 15 K.O.s) after that.
That’s easier said than done. Ryan didn’t look so great against Carlos Morales two years ago, and he’s the only name fighter that is worth mentioning on his resume.