Ryan Garcia doesn’t intend to make a habit out of allowing his opponents to go the distance.
The unbeaten lightweight contender saw his five-fight knockout streak end in his latest win, a twelve-round, unanimous decision over Emmanuel Tagoe on April 9 at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Garcia was content with getting the victory, as it followed a 15-month ring absence along with being his first under new trainer Joe Goossen.
Now armed with a full training camp and a quick turnaround, the same courtesy isn’t expected to be extended to Javier Fortuna this weekend.
“I’m gonna hurt Fortuna. I’m gonna hurt Fortuna so bad that he’s gonna wish he never fought me,” Garcia insisted during a media workout on Wednesday ahead of their DAZN main event this Saturday from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “He’s retiring after this fight. He needs to retire already.”
Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) hadn’t been past seven rounds in five straight fights dating back to 2018 before allowing Ghana’s Tagoe to go the full twelve. The threat of an early night surfaced when Garcia floored Tagoe in round two, only to allow the veteran contender to make it to the final bell in racking up a lopsided points win.
The 22-year-old rising contender from Victorville, California insists that he is properly motivated to ensure a quicker night in his next outing. Fortuna—a 33-year-old southpaw from La Romana, Dominican Republic—managed to get a rise out of Garcia, both in the buildup to the fight and through direct interaction.
“The way he’s speaking to me in the DMs, he’s a WWE type of speaker,” claimed Garcia. “He said he’s gonna hit me with a rock or something. He’s a dumb fighter. I’m gonna take care of him and show him no mercy. I’m gonna look at his corner and ask them, please don’t stop it. I want to keep hurting him.
“I am destroying Fortuna. He cannot beat me. I am levels above him. It’s not even playing with my food. I just have a better understanding on how to eat the food, how to get to the food and how to cook the food. Ultimately, put it in the oven and toast his ass. I want to burn the food so that nobody wants to eat it anymore and that he has to retire.”
