By Sean Jones: Oscar De La Hoya says he will start negotiations with promoter Lou DiBella for a George Kambosos Jr. vs. Ryan Garcia fight after King Ry takes care of Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9th.
If everything goes right for Ryan and Kambosos in their next contests in the first half of 2022, we could see them squaring off in the second half of the year.
The one problem that could prevent the Kambosos-Garcia fight from taking place is if Kambosos loses his June fight.
Top Rank, the promoters for Vasily Lomachenko, are trying to finalize a deal for Loma to challenge Kambosos on June 5th in Melbourne, Australia. Kambosos will need a miracle to defeat Lomachenko.
However, Lomachenko’s recent decision to join the Ukrainian military to defend against the Russian invasion puts the Kambosos fight in doubt.
If Lomachenko doesn’t face Kambosos, that’ll open the door for WBC champion Devin Haney to face the Australian on June 5th.
Haney would be just as formidable an opponent for Kambosos to fight as Lomachenko, and it’s unlikely he’ll win that fight.
Most boxing fans would agree that Kambosos should forget about Haney or Lomachenko and instead face Ryan Garcia, provided he beats Tagoe on April 9th.
Kambosos – Ryan talks to begin soon
De La Hoya seems eager to make the Kambosos vs. Garcia fight, and it’s one that DAZN reportedly is interested in showing on their platform.
“Once he gets past Tagoe, I plan to sit down with [promoter] Lou [DiBella] and hopefully iron out a deal for Ryan and [IBF, WBA, WBC Franchise & WBO lightweight champion George] Kambosos and make that happen by the end of the year,” said De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV.
“I would love to,” Ryan Garcia said to ESNEWS when asked if he’d like to fight Kambosos. “Yeah, wherever I have to go, obviously,” when asked if Ryan is ready to travel to Australia to challenge Kambosos.
“If we can get that fight, it would be good. We’ll see what he does.”
“I might go to Kambosos’ fight in Australia,” said De La Hoya. “I started talking to Lou DiBella because the talks are that Lomachenko, with the current situation [in Ukraine], who knows if he’s going to be ready or have a proper training camp for that fight.
“So let’s strike while the iron is hot with Ryan Garcia,” said De La Hoya. “Getting past April 9th [Ryan vs. Emmanuel Tagoe], the first thing is first, but after that, the sky’s are limit,” said De La Hoya.
Ryan Garcia ready NOW to fight Kambosos
Former WBC interim lightweight champion Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) believes he’s ready right now to defeat Kambosos, and he could be right.
Kambosos never showed great ability before his upset win over Teofimo Lopez last November, and he probably would have been crushed by the New Yorker in that fight if he hadn’t been injured & weight drained.
Ryan will have a massive advantage in hand speed, punching power, and overall talent compared to Kambosos Jr.
“How will I know? I know now,” said Ryan Garcia to the media when asked how will he know he was ready to challenge George Kambosos Jr. after his fight against Tagoe on April 9th.
“It’s just a matter of how I beat Tagoe, and I don’t even care if it’s a hard fight. Styles make fights,” Ryan continued.
“So if somehow this ends up being a hard fight, I’m going to find a way to win because I actually like when it’s hard because it makes me go to a different gear.
“I’ve got a feeling it might end in one, two, or three because he does open up a lot, as you notice,” said King Ry Garcia on Tagoe being vulnerable to his aggressiveness.
“He may be fast, but he throws kind of crazy. If you give me that window, I can find a way, trust me. He’d better be careful, but if he makes it hard, let’s go. It’s a fight anyways.
“I don’t take anybody lightly. You see how upsets happen, Chris Colbert, and you see Josh Taylor, he lost that fight [against Jack Catterall] and Teofimo [in losing to Kambosos].
“So, I would be a fool if I go in there and try to run him over. I’m going to go in there [against Tagoe] and take it seriously and find my shot,” said Ryan.
It’s unlikely Tagoe will pull off an upset against Ryan Garcia because he’s not a big puncher, and he’s never beaten anyone solid during his career.
The Ryan vs. Tagoe fight is more about Golden Boy Promotions setting the wheels in motion for a battle between King Ry and Kambosos later this year.
Tagoe is promoted by Lou DiBella, the same guy that promotes Kambosos.
If you’re wondering why Ryan is fighting the little known fringe contender Tagoe next, all you need to do is look at the fact that he shares the same promoter as Kambosos.
Golden Boy is doing DiBella a favor by making the Ryan Garcia vs. Tagoe fight, but in return, they’re going to get the Kambosos match for King Ry.
King Ry improving with new trainer Goosen
“Joe Goosen has had a lot of experience, and he’s obviously been in the game while,” said Ryan Garcia on his new coach Joe Goosen. “He’s taken, these are his words, a lot of people that didn’t have a lot of talent, and he’s taken them to world championship status.
“He’s got a guy in me, I’ve got a lot of talent, I’ve got a lot to give. I think with the work ethic that he has, and I have, the sky’s the limit, and I think we’re going to do great things. He’s old school, and I like old school.
“I like the little tricks and the movement. I watch old-school fighters all the time. There’s a lot to like about Joe.
“We had a bond when I was 17. I get along with Joe because he’s a character. He’s a little funnier than you think, but he takes it serious. He don’t mess around,” Ryan said.
