While we all enjoyed our Christmas, eating and drinking what we wanted, Luke Campbell had to sacrifice his celebrations, working as he was right through the festive season ahead of his big January 2nd fight with Ryan Garcia. Campbell had to spend time away from him family as he arrived in the US to fully prepare for the fight that will contest the WBC interim title at 135 pounds. This is the kind of sacrifice, the kind of dedication, fighters must have in order to reach the top.
Garcia also had to shelve Christmas but he didn’t have to leave his home country. Both men have been grinding in the gym as they aim for the win in the first big fight of the new year. Southpaw Campbell, 20-3(16) feels he has the experience and the boxing skill to defeat Garcia, while Garcia feels he will win by KO and then go on to become the star of the currently talent-rich lightweight division.
If the time spent away from his family has made Campbell mean, and also focused on nothing but beating Garcia, we will get a very interesting fight on Jan. 2. Campbell told HullLive that he will make sure the sacrifices he has been forced to make will be worth it, that he and his family will “do all the celebrating together when I come home.”
“When the fight was rearranged for January 2nd I knew what I had to do and it’s time to take care of business,” the Olympic gold medal winner said. “It’s been a frustrating year with everything but I’ve had two fights planned that have been pulled which was frustrating. What that means is I have been through two training camps this year already and now this one, so I’m in great shape and the fact that I’ve not fought since 2019 is not a problem. I’ll be ready for him and I’m ready to start the new year in style.”
Garcia, unbeaten at 20-0(17) and 11 years the younger man at age 22, has other ideas, of course. Garcia is aiming as high as can be and he is looking at this fight as a stepping stone to getting where he wants to go. So which of these two talented fighters’ sacrifices over the Christmas holidays will turn out to have been worth it? Garcia seems to be the pick for most fans, yet Campbell is in no way being written off.