Ryan Garcia Not Interested In Doing Callouts Anymore
Talented lightweight Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) finally made a return to the ring after a one-year hiatus against Emmanuel “Gameboy” Tagoe (32-2, 15KOs). The former WBC interim titlist got the win but was unable to make the type of statement that he wanted.
RELATED: Ryan Garcia Stalks A Retreating Emmanuel Tagoe To A Decision Victory
It is well documented the journey that Garcia traveled to get back into the ring. King Ry had to deal with mental illness, then injuries started to take effect, and finally a falling out with his mentor undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Needless to say, it’s been a tumultuous set of events for Garcia. Regardless, he was amped about making a return, and despite the lackluster performance, the former interim titlist got the victory.
King Ry was asked about revisiting a fight with WBA Regular champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and his reply raised several eyebrows.
“You know in the past, I am always with the callouts, but I’ve grown, and I’ve matured, and I’m going to let my team handle it.”
“When it’s on, it’s on. But as of right now, I’m going to trust my team, and we are going to move forward. It’s unrealistic, you know. I don’t want to lie to the fans. I think that has happened enough, and I’m not about to do that to y’all. It is what it is. When we fight, we fight.”
GARCIA’S TRACK RECORD TELLS A DIFFERENT STORY
This was a good, honest response from Garcia. Yet, King Ry has to shoulder a vast majority of the blame for some of those fights not happening.
In 2021, Garcia defeated Luke Campbell in a WBC title eliminator for a shot at WBC champion Devin Haney. King Ry quickly shifted gears and asked the fans if they wanted to see him fight Davis. Furthermore, he went on Mike Tyson’s Hot Boxin and taunted Tank into a fight. Shortly after Davis agreed to a fight, Garcia decided to go in another direction, chasing a fight with legendary fighter Manny Pacquiao.
He was supposed to face former junior lightweight champion Javier Fortuna. The winner of the fight was going to be declared mandatory for Haney. Garcia pulled out of that fight to take some time off to deal with mental health issues.
Lastly was the canceled fight with former IBF junior lightweight champion Joseph “Jo Jo” Diaz. Jo Jo moved up to the lightweight division and quickly grabbed the vacant WBC Interim title. The WBC ordered both Diaz and Garcia to fight in a final eliminator. Once again, Garcia had to pull out due to an injury.
Callouts have not been the issue for Garcia. However, it will be interesting to see who his team chooses for him to fight next.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By: Garrisson Bland
