Ryan Garcia 24-1 (20) might have a big fight lined up in a few weeks time, but that hasn’t stopped him from offering his opinion on a recently crowned world titleholder in his weight class.
Last Saturday night 25-year-old Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz 26-2-1 (18) became the latest world champion from Mexico when he dominated and then knocked out Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero 15-2 (13) in eight rounds to claim the WBA 140-pound championship at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The five-foot-four Cruz, who was having his first fight at 140-pounds after moving up from lightweight, did not look out of place in his new division, dominating much of the fight.
You could be forgiven for thinking that 25-year-old Californian Garcia has more important things on his mind than the result ofr the Romero vs Cruz fight, namely a world title shot of his own against reigning WBC junior welterweight champion Devin Haney 31-0 (15) in little more than two weeks time.
But nope. Garcia took time out from his busy training schedule to let the world know how easily he would handle Cruz if they ever fought.
“It’s my favorite style of all time,” Garcia said on social media. “I can’t count how many times I sparring somebody like that, fought somebody like that and been in the gym with somebody like that.
“He’s even smaller than [Oscar] Duarte. Duarte fought similar to him, but maybe bigger and slower and not as aggressive. Still, a very similar style. They can deny it all they want, but Duarte and Cruz have a very similar style.”
Garcia bounced back from his seventh-round knockout loss to undefeated puncher Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 29-0 (27) in April with an eighth-round knockout of 28-year-old Duarte 26-2-1 (21) last December.
“I would just be fighting a smaller version and perhaps and possibly a little bit better than Duarte. But I can handle that because I knocked out Duarte,” Garcia said.
“I feel like I can knock out Pitbull without five rounds. The jab because he’s coming forward anyway. He’s going to have to eat something.”
Romero was in trouble against Cruz as early as the opening round and didn’t seem to be able to adjust to the relentless attack of his opponent.
As far as Garcia is concerned, Romero would’ve been better served trading in the trenches than retreating like he did for much of the fight.
“Rolly made a mistake. He went back way too much in the fight. He doesn’t know how to stop momentum,” Garcia said.
“He doesn’t know how to do anything. He’s a beginner still. It’s not even about technical. He doesn’t know what to do in certain situations.
“Rolly is still new to the game. He doesn’t know how to handle a pressure fighter.”