After his dramatic upset win over Devin Haney in Brooklyn over the weekend, Ryan Garcia's promoter Oscar De La Hoya said his fighter is now “in control of everything.”
Considering the crazy build-up, Garcia's already considerable level of stardom, and the nature of his wins, there aren't many bigger names in boxing today than the 25-year-old California native.
With riches on offer for potential opponents, there is no shortage of options when it comes to “King Rai”'s next fight.
Garcia, who lost more than three pounds after Haney's win, admitted his days at super lightweight are over and he plans to fight at 147 pounds.
Oddly, he even expressed a desire to face current WBC and WBO super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
“I had a vision of fighting Fundora at 154,” Garcia said after the fight.
“I don't know why, but I feel like I could knock him out. I know it's really, really random, but I feel like I could win the title at 154.
“I've never fought someone that big before and knocked him out in sparring.”
It seems unlikely, at least in the short term, that Garcia will get that wish, with Fandora requiring nose surgery after last month's title-clinching victory over Tim Tzu and sidelined him for several months.
Once Fundora returns, the WBO has ordered him to face the winner of the Terrence Crawford-Israel Madrimov bout by the end of the year.
Tim Tse camp interested in fight against Ryan Garcia
With the capture of Fundora, Tszyu's camp expressed interest in recruiting Garcia to the super welterweight division.
“By '54 Timmy will be a champion in every field,” No Limit Boxing's George Rose told Sporting News.
“I hope he goes because he is an absolute superstar in world boxing. He can fight, he can absolutely fight, he can punch and he can combine it with the best. Man. And Timmy Twee will be the best in the entire 154 category.”
“We would be happy to see Ryan Garcia get to 154 and we would be happy to accommodate him.”
While Garcia was training with Joe Goosen in preparation for his canceled bout with Jermell Charlo, Tszyu was training at Tengoose Boxing in Los Angeles.
Tzu's manager Glenn Jennings praised the young star.
“Ryan said a lot of things back and forth. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't, but that's who he is,” Jennings said.
“He's a friend of ours, we train with Ryan in Los Angeles and we're really happy for him, but he has his own way of doing things and we're going to analyze that. If you want to spend your time, don't do that. Let him go.
“This man is an enigma, but it's a credit to him and I salute him for everything he does.”
Who will Ryan Garcia fight next?
Unfortunately for Tszyu, who currently doesn't have a belt, Garcia will likely be inclined to look elsewhere for his next opponent.
A Devin Haney rematch remains a possibility, but not at super lightweight. Meanwhile, there's a good chance Gervonta “Tank” Davis will rematch Garcia at the recommended catchweight of 145 pounds.
Teofimo Lopez is a superstar in his own right and would make for a tantalizing fight as well as a box office hit, but the New Yorker is currently campaigning for 140 pounds.
If he moves up to welterweight, there will be a number of fighters lining up to face Garcia.
After the fight, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn was seen suggesting Garcia face new signing and 147lb IBF champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis.
Alternatively, Garcia has been back and forth on social media with Briton Conor Benn, also of Matchroom, and has hinted at possible talks with Errol Spence.
Wait, RG vs Erol is going to be crazy.
No. Do you want that?
Please let me know
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarcia) April 22, 2024
That said, Garcia's social media activity should be taken with a grain of salt.
If De La Hoya & Co. wants to keep Golden Boy in-house, someone like Alexis Rocha would be near the front of the line.
In any case, De La Hoya was right when he said Garcia was “making all the decisions.”
