By: Sean Crose
Ryan Garcia simply isn’t going to act in a professional manner. At least not much of the time. One just has to wonder if he does it for the money and eyeballs or if it’s just who he is. Connor Benn, Garcia’s opponent this weekend and Vegas, was left hanging when Garcia decided not to show up for a pre-fight face off. Around the same the 28-year-old titlist was busying himself it seems talking smack about file for pound legend Terrence Crawford. It was all part for the course. In the end of Ryan Garcia is gonna Ryan Garcia.
Garcia of course is famous, hard-punching, young, and good looking… all of which he is well aware of and uses for attention and dollars. Is that a bad thing, though? Sure the kid could have shown up for the face off. In fact it’s annoying that he didn’t. Overall though personality goes a long way in a fight game.. it’s what fans like. Gene Tunney bested Jack Dempsey twice, but it was the hard hitting, Hollywood loving Dempsey who remained in people’s hearts. Larry Holmes was one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever laced up a pair of gloves, but he never got the love Ali or Tyson did.
A prime example of Ryan Garcia absorbing the kind of attention fans reportedly hate (but perhaps love):
“100% Boots could beat him. Canelo was slow… you need a fast fighter to beat him, you can’t have Errol Spence moving at 2 miles per hour… Canelo every shot is a load up, like come on bro.” Garcia recently recently uttered the previous words to Sport of Boxing. Of course Crawford retired some time ago undefeated and with the record of being undisputed champion of numerous weight divisions. Garcia lost twice, to Gervonta Davis and Rolly Romero respectively. Garcia can be an excellent fighter but to compare him to Terence Crawford or to have him compare himself to Crawford, is ridiculous. Garcia knows that too, which might be why he said what he said. Controversy, ultimately sells.
What sells even better than controversy however is a victory. And if Garcia doesn’t beat Benn this weekend it’s not going to look good for the young Californian. Benn has been completely weight drained, and it has showed. That may clearly give Garcia an edge. Should Garcia blow this opportunity as he arguably did against Rolly, however, then his earning power is going to diminish. No matter how colorful a fighter is people are only going to accept so many losses before they lose patience.
The truth is that Garcia can pretty much do what he wants so long as he wins. He’s a good fighter, no doubt. He’s got better foot movement than people believe. And of course as stated earlier he can hit like a missile when he’s zoned in and focused. Garcia may be showy but that doesn’t mean there’s no substance under all that showmanship. Should Garcia win of course he’s going to get a lot of credit, and deservedly so. Benn may not be the most feared man in boxing but he certainly is a talented fighter in his own right
Again it all comes down to wins. If Garcia continues to get wins especially wins against notable opponents we’ll keep bringing in the money eyeballs and adoration he craves. Boxing is a tough sport though, and a fighter has to remain locked into the goal. Garcia is no doubt aware of this which is why it’s probably wise to take his unprofessional antics with a grain of salt. Being a professional to Garcia seems to be at least as much of a businessman as he is a boxer. Then again, one never knows when it comes to Ryan Garcia.
