The WBC champion says today’s 147-pound division finally features the kind of major fights boxing fans demanded for years
Ryan Garcia says champions have a responsibility to fight the best opponents now that the welterweight division is finally attracting major matchups again. Garcia pointed to his decision to fight Gervonta Davis as proof he has never avoided elite competition.
Garcia, who recently captured the WBC welterweight title, said the sport frustrated him earlier in his career because elite fighters often avoided each other during their primes. Ryan said part of the reason he accepted the Gervonta Davis fight was that he wanted to see more top fighters facing each other instead of avoiding risky bouts.
“At the time, nobody was fighting each other,” Ryan said to Complex News while discussing his decision to accept the Davis fight under difficult contractual terms.
“I think that we, me as a champion, I have a responsibility to uphold boxing in the most respectable manner without putting myself in a bad predicament. But I’m the type of person that I will fight everyone, especially when all the terms are equal and fair. I’ll fight anybody.”
Ryan also rejected the idea that he avoids tough opponents, pointing to the fighters he has faced throughout his career.”
“I’ve never been scared in my life to fight top competition. My whole life, since the amateurs, I fought everybody. I fought in the hardest divisions,” said Garcia.
Ryan then pointed to the current state of the welterweight division, arguing that 147 pounds has become the center of attention because so many fighters are now chasing major fights there.
“Now you see 147, everybody wants to come here now,” Ryan said.
Garcia is currently expected to return on September 12 in Las Vegas, although he recently cautioned that details involving a potential fight with Conor Benn are still not fully finalized.
