Ryan Garcia was prepared to go through Jorge Linares to get to a major title fight but is also perfectly content with cutting straight to the chase.
The 135-pound division is overrun with top-shelf talent, from its current titlists to former claimants down to rising contenders such as Garcia. The 21-year old from Victorville, California has come into his own over the past 18 months, by no small coincidence in line with his time spent under current head trainer Eddy Reynoso.
With the rapid progress made in his career has come the belief that a shot at the big time is well within reach.
“I think I’m very close,” Garcia (20-0, 17KOs) insisted of his title fight aspirations in an interview during the most recent installment of Impact Network's Stars and Champions series. “I think that I’m… maybe within the next two fights, or the next fight. Especially at 135, I feel like I’m getting even stronger.
“At 135, it will be very interesting to see who can keep up with my speed and power. With the different promoters and matchmakers, that’s their thing (to make these fights). You know me, I’m ready to challenge myself. I don’t know what they want to do. I’m ready.”
Garcia has particularly shown his worth in his last two fights, both ending in within one round.
A mere 98 seconds were needed to annihilate Philippines’ Romero Duno, who on paper was due to deliver the toughest test of Garcia’s career when the collided last November in Las Vegas. Garcia managed to get the job done in even less time in his most recent outing, stopping former two-time title challenger Francisco Fonseca in just 80 seconds this past February at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
There were designs on his next facing former three-division titlist Linares (47-5, 29KOs) this July, although those plans appear to have been placed on hold as Garcia could return this summer against a different opponent. From there, he plans to firmly set his sights on the likes of unified titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10KOs), reigning beltholders Devin Haney (24-0, 15KOs) and Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12KOs), as well as secondary 135-pound titlist and former two-time 130-pound beltholder Gervonta Davis (23-0, 22KOs).
“In my opinion, I think I can fight all these guys and I can beat all the guys I want to fight,” believes Garcia. “Who else would I want to beat other than Gervonta Davis, other than Lomachenko, Teofimo… who else, Devin Haney? All these guys that are in my way.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox