Ryan Garcia picked up the biggest win of his career and now his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya believes he will be the next superstar.
Entering his WBC interim lightweight title fight against Luke Campbell, the question many had was, is Garcia a legit contender or is he a social media fighter? The 22-year-old has nearly eight million Instagram followers and is often seen hanging out with YouTubers and influencers. However, on Saturday night, he put all those questions to bed when he TKO’d Campbell with a body shot.
Following the win, De La Hoya praised the 22-year-old and believed he will be a bigger star than Canelo Alvarez.
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“I strongly feel that Ryan is going to be 10 times bigger than Canelo,” De La Hoya said.
There is no question Ryan Garcia is a big draw. He has a loyal, young fanbase that watches his fights and after winning the interim belt, he proves he belongs among the lightweight elite.
“You’re not who people tell you, (you) are,” Garcia said in his post-fight interview on DAZN. “You’re who you choose to be. And I chose to be a champion tonight. I wasn’t going to let nothing stop me.”
After his win over Campbell, Garcia even called out Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who not many call out.
“I really want to be a man of my word,” Garcia said after his win. “I really want to fight Tank. I know people are worried about it [happening], but I’m ready for it.”
Ryan Garcia is now 21-0 as a pro with 18 wins by knockout. If Garcia gets the Davis fight and wins, he would arguably become one of boxing’s biggest stars. It would also set up a megafight with the winner of Teofimo Lopez vs. Devin Haney, if it happens, to have one unified lightweight champion.
Do you think Ryan Garcia will be as big as Canelo Alvarez?