Luke Campbell is in the position to put himself into a big fight if he beats Ryan Garcia in their clash in eight days for the interim WBC lightweight title on January 2nd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Garcia vs. Campbell will be the main event live on DAZN.
The winner will be mandatory for WBC 135-lb champion Devin Haney, and they’ll be in the position to challenge him if that’s what they want.
This fight will show whether King Ryan (20-0, 17 KOs) is the real McCoy or just another Logan Paul YouTuber type of social media boxer. Up to this point, Ryan has done nothing in boxing for him to receive the attention he’s gotten.
But thanks to Ryan’s 6 million+ followers on social media, he’s getting the attention that only popular world champions like Canelo Alvarez are receiving.
Garcia, 22, is training with Canelo Alvarez’s coach Eddy Reynoso now, and his physique is now looking very cut up like a bodybuilder. It’s going to be interesting to see if Ryan’s new muscular look will help him against the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Campbell or hinder him
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) wants another title shot after losing to Vasyl Lomachenko by a 12 round decision last year to fight for the vacant WBC lightweight title. Luke gave Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) all he could handle for 12 rounds, but he ultimately came up short.
Despite losing the fight, Campbell showed talent and toughness against Lomachenko that may be too much for Ryan.
“I’ve been on fire for this fight because I know it’s a big moment for my career, and I’ve taken it 100% serious,” said Ryan Garcia to ESNEWS.
If Ryan loses this fight, it’s going to be a big disappointment for many of his social media fans because they’re expecting big things from him.
“I’m betting on Ryan because Ryan has got a left hook, and Luke Campbell is a southpaw, and he has to come in,” said light-welterweight prospect Brandun Lee to Fighthype.
“Ryan is going to fight tall on his back leg, and Campbell is going to have to come in. He may throw a left to the body or something, and Ryan doesn’t miss with that left hook. If I have to bet, I’m going with Ryan. But if it goes past five rounds, I think it’ll be pretty interesting.
“He did improve ever since he went to Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso, and I’ll leave it at that,” said Lee of Ryan Garcia. “He did improve. I’m not seeing him grab as much, but I’d like to see after five rounds how he reacts.”
It will be interesting to see if Ryan can take power from Campbell for 12 rounds without getting dropped multiple times and knocked out. Ryan’s neck looks thin and weak, and his head small for his size.
Ryan doesn’t look like the prototype elite boxer. In fact, Ryan looks more like a High School kid, but he does have a lot of power in his left hook and excellent hand speed with that arm.
Unfortunately, Ryan’s right power is weak compared to his left, and it’s almost like a vestigial structure that serves no purpose. If Campbell can take Ryan’s left hook away from him the way Carlos Morales did in 2018, he’ll have an excellent chance of beating him.