Ryan Garcia is only a few days removed from his latest win and he’s already plotting his return.
Garcia made an emphatic defence of his WBC welterweight title on Saturday as he stopped Conor Benn inside two rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Attention has already turned to what ‘King Ry’ may do next, with a unification clash with WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez initially seeming to be the frontrunner option.
It is believed that Cinco de Mayo weekend in May is the targeted date for that clash, and therefore Garcia has revealed his intention to fight before then, looking at a potential battle against the man that has been dubbed as ‘mini Mike Tyson.’
Speaking to The Ariel Helwani Show, Garcia discussed a possible match-up with former world champion Isaac Cruz.
“I kind of want to get in the ring either December or January. That’s kind of where I’m looking at. There’s a lot of people out there. You’ve got Pitbull Cruz, I wouldn’t mind rumbling with him… I won’t call it a tune up but I don’t want to get caught off guard.
“I don’t want to wait until May to fight. Why do I have to wait until May? I have no bruises, I have no hits to the head, why can’t I fight? So I’ll give the fans a little treat.”
Cruz won the WBA super lightweight title in March 2024 with a stoppage win over Rolando Romero, before losing the belt in his first defence in a split decision defeat to José Valenzuela.
He has since become WBC interim super lightweight champion with a win over Omar Salcido, and was held to a draw with Lamont Roach Jr in his last outing, so a clash against Garcia could be an interesting spectacle before a showdown with Lopez.
