By Keith Idec

Ryan Garcia has heard and read what Carlos Morales has been saying about him.

Morales, Garcia’s opponent Saturday night, called Garcia a “goofball” at his open workout Monday and assuredly said the fast-rising 130-pound prospect won’t be able to knock him out. The 20-year-old Garcia cannot wait to prove Morales wrong when they meet in a 10-round fight at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

“My power is going to be a big problem,” Garcia said. “When I go to the body, it’s going to be a big problem. But you never know until you step into the ring. You can’t really tell how he fights until you are in there. Whatever he has said about me is irrelevant. Whether he thinks I’m a kid or that I’m always on social media – that’s irrelevant. What matters is what will happen in the ring.”

The Garcia-Morales match will headline a show Golden Boy Promotions will stream live on Facebook Watch, starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT Saturday night. Garcia, of Victorville, California, is very active on social media and has 1.1 million followers on Instagram.

“For this fight, you can expect big numbers,” Garcia said. “It will set new precedents. This Facebook deal was made for me!”

Garcia (15-0, 13 KOs) went the distance for just the second time as a pro in his last fight. Puerto Rican veteran Jayson Velez (26-5-1, 18 KOs) took Garcia all 10 rounds May 4 in Carson, California, but Garcia won nine of the 10 rounds on all three scorecards (99-91).

The 28-year-old Morales (17-2-3, 6 KOs), a native Mexican who resides in Highland Park, California, hasn’t been knocked out in his six-year pro career. He has lost only a 10-round unanimous decision to WBA super featherweight champion Alberto Machado (20-0, 16 KOs) since going 0-1-3 in his first four professional fights.

“[We’re] definitely going into the later rounds,” Morales said. “Ryan Garcia cannot knock me out. We’re going to make it a smart fight during every single second of every round. All of my fights have been against tough contenders, and that has given me a lot of confidence. I have faced a lot of top fighters. That’s definitely going to make me mentally and physically ready for September 1.”

Morales’ familiarity with Garcia also should help him.

“I’ve known Ryan for a while,” Morales said. “We used to train at the same gym and he has the same goofball personality that he’s always had. But this is business, and there will be no games when we step in the ring.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.