Ryan Garcia will be a great fighter, He is still up in the air…

Boxing always needs stars.

It may require stars more than exceptional combatants.

Boxing fans are captivated by celebrities, who also generate press and raise the crucial question of what comes next in the sport. Boxing has someone to build on when fans care enough to ask that question, especially the kind of fans who can only name a few boxers at any one moment.

Is it preferable for stars to be fierce combatants? Indeed. It is not necessary.

Whether Ryan Garcia will be a great fighter is still up in the air. He is undoubtedly excellent. Guys who possess his strength, speed, and length are hard to come by.

While his public altercations with his promoters make for compelling narratives, they also reflect his talent, which is worth supporting.

There are reasons for concern though, apparent in his loss to Gervonta Davis and again in his win last weekend over Oscar Duarte. In both fights, Garcia had moments where his trainers were giving one bit of advice and he didn’t seem to listen. Versus Davis, Garcia failed to follow the game plan after a successful first round, got himself dropped, and never really got back in the fight.

On Saturday, Garcia used a shoulder roll and pet on ever after the corner instructed him to give it up, having established a nice lead with his jab and fast replies. This corner compared the structure and style of the fight to Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney prior to the Davis-Garcia bout.

It was akin to that altercation where the matinee idol aspirant was revealed to be unprepared for the big time. Following Holmes-Cooney, Cooney continued to be so successful that he was able to face Michael Spinks and George Foreman in pay-per-view matchups. Even though he was defeated, the bouts helped pave the way for Holyfield-Foreman and Tyson-Spinks.

In the end, Garcia was too large and too skilled for a game Duarte. Even though Garcia fought in a technically uneven manner and won a few rounds, Garcia’s arsenal and explosiveness proved to be too much for Duarte to handle.

Garcia reaffirmed what was already known: he is capable of handling both contenders and strong pros.

There is still much to learn about the next level.

Futures: Garcia may not have to wait long to learn about that next phase. Junior welterweight champion Rolly Romero has publicly stated that he doesn’t think Garcia deserves to face him. Romero was last seen being awarded a stoppage victory in a fight against Ismael Barroso in which he was losing terribly.

Deserving has little bearing on boxing, thus those seem like combative terms.

Tank Davis and Garcia have demonstrated pulling power that the other fighters in the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions currently lack.

When the price is good and Davis has previously seen Romero, everyone wants to fight them. Romero, a less skilled and more flawed fighter who can put an ass every six inches, is the simplest route to a title around Garcia’s weights. For both guys, the fight makes perfect sense.

Garcia’s development is far from over. He might eventually suffer defeats at the hands of Teofimo Lopez, Davis, or Devin Haney in a rematch. If he doesn’t, when those clashes recur and make their stars shine brighter, he will be richly rewarded.

That is not inherently flawed.

 

Cliff’s Notes…

It is reasonable to believe Michael Conlan’s career is over. Three knockout losses in his last five fights and consecutive losses by knockout don’t bode well for his future. Conlan struck his ceiling and the roof hit back, despite having great expectations in some areas for the Olympics.Terence Crawford is what Teofimo Lopez wants? Or is he merely seeking attention?

A few boxers enjoy making headlines, and Lopez is one of them. Follow Kevin Lele Sadjo if you want to. In comparison to other new faces, he is older, but he can crackSending Lennox Lewis, the legendary heavyweight, my condolences on the loss of his mother. Lewis has always exhibited greatness. It says a great deal about his background.

Cliff Rold holds several affiliations, including the International Boxing Research Organization, the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and BoxingScene’s managing editor.