Ryan Garcia sat down for a revealing interview with Ak and Barak of Ring Champs ahead of his return to boxing. Garcia discussed the period of his life before his fight with Devin Haney last year and a myriad of topics.
Garcia also gave his prediction on the upcoming superfight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. Without much hesitation, Garcia told Ak and Barak:
“He [Crawford] can’t beat Canelo. He didn’t look that strong against Madrimov, and Madrimov isn’t even a big… The thing with Canelo is that he’s mastered his style. He understands what’s going on in the ring at all times. I just don’t see him beating Canelo.”
The prediction isn’t a bold one.
In fact, most of the people in the sport that I’ve spoken to about the fight believe Canelo’s size will be too much for Crawford to overcome. You can see the entire interview with Garcia below.
If you haven’t watched the interview in its entirety, I highly suggest you watch it. Garcia is seemingly being open and honest about his struggles, drug and alcohol abuse, and more.
As for the Canelo-Crawford fight, it’s a perfect setup for the latter to etch his name even deeper in the record books as one of the greatest of all time. Quite honestly, if he beats Canelo, he could make the argument that he deserves to be considered in the same breath as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and others.
Put into perspective that Crawford could theoretically be 42-0 with wins over Errol Spence Jr., Canelo Alvarez, Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Amir Khan, Jeff Horn, Viktor Postol, Ricky Burns, and other former world champions.
While that list of opponents may not leap off the page like Mayweather’s résumé (whose 50-0 hit list reads like a who’s who of the weight region during his era), Crawford’s flawless record combined with an improbable win over a legend two divisions heavier would make a major impression.
For Canelo, he has the most to lose and least to gain—besides the monetary wins. Most people expect him to be too big and powerful for Crawford. If he defeats the smaller man, he won’t get much praise. Instead, it’ll make his reluctance to fight David Benavidez all the more spotlighted.
If Canelo were to lose to Crawford, it would significantly tarnish his legacy. On the heels of avoiding a fight with Benavidez—seemingly because of his size—a loss to a smaller fighter would be a tough pill to swallow for the Mexican icon.
Luckily—if that does happen—he’ll have gallons of wealth to wash the bitter taste down.
For Garcia, it’s great to see him back and talking about boxing the way he did before his bizarre turn in 2024. He is truly one of the most dynamic stars in the sport. In May, when he takes on Rolly Romero as a part of Turki Alalshikh’s epic tripleheader in Times Square, we’ll find out if he’s still the Garcia that is as dangerous as anyone in the weight region.