Ryan Garcia appeared on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith this week, arriving with his WBC welterweight belt and addressing a range of topics that included a potential bout with Conor Benn, his ambitions within the sport, the aftermath of his loss to Gervonta Davis, and his interest in a rematch with Devin Haney.

The Conor Benn Callout

Smith opened by asking Garcia why he had been so quick to accept Benn’s challenge after the British contender called him out last month. Garcia said the friction with Benn predates the recent public exchanges.

“Well, I mean, he’s been talking for some time. It hasn’t even just been recently, you know, it’s been maybe a year, two years,” Garcia said. “He actually pulled up on me in London and, you know, tried to fight me, started some trouble at an award show. So ever since then, he’s been on my radar. But since he’s number one and I’m world champion, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ You know, there’s no more waiting. Let’s just get it on.”

Asked later about the weight class, given that Benn campaigns at 147 pounds, Garcia said he would be willing to defend his title at welterweight.

“Conor Benn, of course, 147. I would love to defend my title and if that happens, let’s do that too,” he said.

The Face of Boxing Question

Smith pressed Garcia on whether he still views himself as a candidate to carry the sport, given that he has fought only three times in the last three years. Garcia said holding a world title has changed his outlook.

“Well, you know, as I’m a world champion now and now that I feel like I have the belt and, you know, I’ve always had the following, I’ve always had all the opportunities you can have as a superstar,” Garcia said. “Now that I have this piece that I kind of was missing, of course I would love to keep fighting and kind of carry boxing. And I actually lead this generation of young fighters of popularity and now of being a world champion. So I have all the opportunities to become the face of boxing, but now I just have to prove it with my dedication and all my fights that are going to be lined up. I have to do it now.”

Revisiting the Gervonta Davis Loss

Smith asked Garcia to reflect on the impact of his April 2023 loss to Gervonta Davis. Garcia framed the bout in the context of the broader landscape at the time.

“In the landscape of boxing at that time, nobody was fighting each other. We were in a very bad time in boxing. Everybody was scared of each other. Everybody was ducking each other. Everybody was trying to protect the O,” Garcia said. “I went and took all the clauses that Gervonta Davis put on me and I’m the one that made that fight happen. Yes, the result didn’t go my way, but if you really want boxing to propel, you can’t be worried about that. All you can do is dust yourself off, get back, and prove yourself.”

Garcia said a rematch remains on his radar, but only under different conditions.

“If I have an opportunity to do a rematch with him, guess what? We’re going to do it on my terms and even terms,” he said. “I’m a world champion now. What has he been doing? Why are we talking about him? He hasn’t been doing nothing.”

Weight Class Flexibility and Other Options

Garcia indicated that his team believes he can still make 140 pounds and named two fighters at that weight he would target if the opportunity came.

“My strength and conditioning coach, he said that I have, he thinks he believes that I can make 140 comfortably. You know, I trust the people, my team around me,” Garcia said. “If that opportunity presents itself, I would love to fight Shakur Stevenson or we could bring Gervonta back, you know, from wherever he’s at.”

Smith brought up Jaron “Boots” Ennis as a name underrepresented in welterweight conversations, but Garcia did not engage directly on that matchup.

Devin Haney as the Mega Fight

When Smith asked which fight Garcia considered the largest available to him after a potential Benn bout, Garcia identified one name.

“There’s only one. It’s Devin Haney,” Garcia said. “We already know the history. We already know what happened. I don’t want to get into that, but the world wants to see that again. I have something to prove. He has something to prove. That’s the only fight that would make sense. Will it happen? We don’t know.”

Smith pushed back on the premise, saying he did not see Haney as a threat to Garcia. Garcia and Haney met in April 2024, with Garcia knocking Haney down three times in a bout originally ruled a majority decision win for Garcia. The result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for ostarine, as reported by ESPN.

The full First Take segment is available below.