By Gerardo Granados: Next year on January, Saturday 2nd, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas, top lightweight contender southpaw Luke Campbell 20W (16 KO) – 3L – 0D, will fight against boxing prospect and Social Media sensation named Ryan Garcia 20W (17 KO) – 0L – 0D.
Other than been followed by many at the different social media platforms, the boxing skills or quality of opposition faced by Garcia isn’t impressive at all to justify the huge hype.
According to the hype built around Ryan Garcia, he should steamroll Luke Campbell with ease. I can’t believe the way some boxing major media puppets keep on praising this prospect.
In his fight against Carlos Morales, I saw him lose the fight and get a gift from the judges. But I haven’t heard him being questioned about that bout.
Southpaw Luke Campbell is a big lightweight, also a solid, experienced boxer, has amateur pedigree, and also has faced top opposition at the pro ranks. But somehow, he is being overlooked by some who believe that Garcia is for real.
Garcia has finally stopped being spoon fed tailor made opponents, which is a good thing. This fight is a real challenge for the prospect, but for a strange reason some boxing media outlets treat him as if he was the next boxing star or as if he was really special.
I don’t see anything special on Ryan Garcia. Not even his hand speed. He looks raw and has plenty of room for improvement. He still is unproven and untested. None the less during his time under trainer Eddy Reynoso, I do have seen some improvement shown against the lesser opposition.
Campbell is quite the opposite of Garcia. Luke won a lightweight Olympic gold medal and then climbed the pro ranks, earning by himself two shots at the lightweight title, first against Vasyl Lomachenko and then against Jorge Linares, losing to both by close competitive decisions.
Campbell has experience, good ring smart-IQ, has overall good skills, is disciplined, durable and also showed heart, hunger and determination when he faced Lomachenko and Linares. He is now 33 years old but I think that he still is at the top of his capabilities.
Between Campbell and Garcia, who wants it more? Who will show the will to dig deep into his soul if things aren’t going his way to beat his opponent? Who could choke under pressure? Or quit to save his boxing career in case he gets his eye shut?
Prize fighters are special; they know the risks but are willing to take them. We fight fans all we want is blood and to deny it is hypocritical to say the least. If the reader feels offended or my words hurt his feelings, then you should just grow up or follow a different not combat pro sport.
Ryan Garcia´s Golden Boy Promotions stable mate Vergil Ortiz is for real. Ortiz 16W (16 KO) – 0L – 0D, has the physical tools, the boxing skills and killer instinct. But, I cannot say the same about Garcia; I don’t see any killer instinct on Garcia. If you watch Ryan´s facial expression after he knocked out Francisco Fonseca, you will wonder if Ryan knows that he is in the hurt business.
Times have changed in the last decade or so, and sadly not for the best. Now a day pro boxing keeps being watered down for mass consumption.
Ryan Garcia is back in the ring this Saturday. 💫
His last two fights lasted shorter than ONE full round combined. 🌬️ pic.twitter.com/2tTE9Vq7Kl
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 28, 2020
The emasculation of prize fighting continues and now to behave as a prize fighter is attacked by the soft pseudo boxing fans. The toxic snowflake society has now aimed to change the essence in prize fighting.
If Garcia shows heart, hunger and determination to beat Campbell, I will be surprised. The real fighters come out of the barrios and ghettos; they aren’t sons of Governors or Senators.
The time has come for Garcia to answer the big questions and it will be against his first quality southpaw opponent. As you know on times southpaws can be tricky and odd to fight. Let’s see if Ryan can execute the game plan, if he can adjust, and be disciplined inside the ring.
Luke is in a win – win situation and all the pressure is on Ryan Garcia´s side. If Ryan loses he will be considered a hype job, if he wins he will be on track to become the next Floyd Mayweather Jr. Nahh, not really, but some TV commentators might dare to try to convince boxing fans that he is.
If Garcia was to find a way to win, it will open a Pandora´s box. For some it could prove that the tubers are better than traditional boxers. And for sure it could twist even more the mentality of some young boxers.
I think that there are things that you cannot buy at the corner store. I believe in prize fighting essence. I am certain that the pride of a fighter has no price tag. And for sure I don’t trust the major media when they do their best to hype a boxer without a valid reason.
The betting odds tell a different story from my point of view. But I am picking Campbell to win by split decision, although he should win by unanimous decision. It isn´t the first time I am wrong and it won´t be the last time I got it right.
A friend of mine thinks that Ryan Garcia deserves all the hype. But, do the readers believe that Garcia has what it takes to justify the hype?