Ryan Garcia is growing tired of lesser-qualified opponents like UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and social media stars like Deen the Great calling him out thinking they can beat him in a boxing match.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) realizes that the knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in April further widened the pool of his detractors, and he wants to re-establish his footing as a bonafide star with a dominant performance against Oscar Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) on Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston on DAZN.
“[People are going to remember] how badass I am, like, ‘we forgot about this guy. We forgot about Ryan.’ They are going to stop disrespecting me, for real,” Garcia told BoxingScene.com in an interview.
“I’m being disrespected by stupid YouTubers like Dean TheGreat and random dudes who think they can beat me up … and people giving them the leeway with that. What are you guys talking about? I would literally destroy those guys [like Sean O’Malley]. Bring them all at the same time.
“The hardest thing [from the Davis loss] is knowing that wasn’t my best and everyone had to have an opinion that … It sucks. Just knowing that people are thinking that pisses me off a little bit. But that’s part of the game. I lost. It is what it is. I accepted that fight under those circumstances and I have to live with that.
The 25-year-old Garcia doubled down to say that he’s more committed and dedicated to boxing following the seventh-round stoppage loss to Davis.
The Victorville, California-bred, Los Angeles-based Garcia formed a new pact with the reigning trainer of the year Derrick James, and moved camp to Dallas to stay away from Tinseltown.
“I like this position of having to prove myself,” said Garcia. “It makes me feel like my younger self coming up from the ages of 18 to 22.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.