The boxing world witnessed a heated verbal altercation on the Inside The Ring podcast between two rising figures in the sport: Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson. The exchange ignited fans’ hopes of finally seeing these modern talents face off, but the reality of their careers indicates that the possibility is “slim”, at least for now.
The rivalry between Garcia and Stevenson, who move in neighboring weight classes, has largely been kept out of the ring. However, the recent verbal encounter made it clear that the enmity is real.
The verbal battle between Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson
The dispute intensified when Ryan Garcia pointed to his rival’s alleged lack of power. Although Garcia suggested that Stevenson could beat Devin Haney, the lightweight champion felt irritated by the questioning of his punching power. Stevenson responded aggressively: “I’ll beat you up… all my life”.
Stevenson, in turn, tried to shame Garcia by reminding him of the “humiliating” defeat he suffered in May against Rolando Romero. However, Garcia stood by his criticism and challenged Stevenson: “When I beat you up, what are you going to say?”
Despite the rivalry they have forged, the main reason why the fight is not imminent lies in the fact that the careers of both fighters are taking very different directions. Stevenson is preparing to move up in weight class and face Teofimo Lopez for the 140-pound title in January.
Ryan Garcia, on the other hand, has been dealing with defeats and controversy, putting him in greater need of a big win. Garcia is scheduled to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title (147 pounds) in February.
Weight would be another obstacle for Ryan Garcia
Even if Garcia manages to secure a victory over Barrios, which would give him the opportunity to rewrite his recent history, the 147-pound landscape is complicated. As the WBC champion in that division, Garcia would immediately be in the sights of other fighters such as Rolando Romero, Devin Haney and Lewis Crocker.
Although Garcia still clings to the idea of a rematch against Haney, the latter has shown interest in Rolando Romero. Given the multiple moving pieces in both weight classes, a matchup between Garcia and Stevenson seems, for now, a long way off.
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