Luke Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) and Ryan ‘Kingry’ Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) weighed in at 135 pounds on Friday for their ‘Fire and Ice’ 12-round clash for the interim WBC lightweight title today at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The fight will be streamed live on DAZN. The main card will begin at 3:00 p.m. EST with Garcia and Campbell expected to make their ring walks at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Garcia, 22, and Campbell were separated by a thick plastic screen during the face-off for safety reasons, which made it interesting. The visual image of the two fighters being separated was unusual, to say the least.
Both fighters looked in tip-top shape as they weighed in for this battle, which will be streamed live on DAZN.
Ryan vs. Campbell is supposed to face WBC lightweight champion, Devin Haney, next, but neither fighter shown interest in taking that fight.
Indeed, Ryan says he’s saving Haney for last after he takes on Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez, and takes both of their scalps. As for Campbell, he says he’ll be looking at his options after he beats Ryan.
Campbell, 33, is considerably older than the 22-year-old King Ryan, and he’s got loads more experience, both as an amateur and as a pro. This fight likely would never have happened if the World Boxing Council didn’t instigate it by ordering Ryan and Campbell to fight for the interim WBC strap.
There’s nothing on Ryan’s resume that suggests that he’s ready for this kind of a step up fight against Campbell. If Ryan gets schooled by Campbell, Golden Boy Promotions are going to have pie in their face for letting a mere boy in Ryan take on Campbell.
Campbell prepared for victory
“Fantastic, that’s what I hope for,” said Luke Campbell to Fino Boxing when asked how he would feel if he were able to knockout Ryan Garcia.
“That’s why I train so hard to get prepared to get a victory like that. I believe there are some good performances coming from me, better than I’ve ever been before,” said Campbell.
If Campbell is as good as he was in his loss to Vasily Lomachenko in August 2019, Ryan is going to be in for a long night. That version of Campbell likely beats Ryan without any problems.
Ryan hasn’t been involved in a war where there was give and take for 12 rouns. In most of Ryan’s fights, he comes out and throws a left hook, and his over-matched 2nd-tier opponents fall over without landing more than a tiny handful of punches.
For Ryan to beat Campbell, he’s likely going to have to take a lot of punishment and dig deep to get the victory. Unfortunately, Ryan has only had one fight where his opponent
Ryan Garcia loses temper during interview
“I’m ready, the words have been said. I’m just ready to go,” said King Ryan to DAZN. “You see I put in the work, I’m confident, and I’m ready to do me.
“You see how I look. That should tell you I prepared 100%. I don’t take no man lightly.
“You see I put in the work, and I’m ready to show what I’m made of. We shall see in the ring. Who made that up? Everyone knows that fire melts ice,” Ryan Garcia said in reacting with irritation to DAZN interviewer Sergio Mora repeating the slogan for the Garcia – Campbell fight in saying
“Fire and Ice.” “But cold water can put out some fire,” said Todd Grisham from DAZN to Ryan.
At that point, an irritated Ryan Garcia walked away without thinking of a comeback remark to say to Grisham. Ryan looked like he wanted to tear Grisham’s head off before wordlessly walking away.
Sergio Mora immediately started cackling uncontrollably at both Grisham’s comment and the angry reaction from Ryan. Mora was still laughing when the segment ended, clearly enjoying Ryan’s grief.
It’s too bad Chris Mannix of DAZN wasn’t there to enjoy this moment because it was priceless, better than the entire promotion up to his point.
In hindsight, Ryan would have come off better if he’d kept it light, but he looked angry from the very start of the brief interview. It could be that Ryan is peeved about boxing fans viewing him s just an Instagram model and YouTuber level fighter.
Ryan views himself as a future world champion, and he’s talking about wanting to defeat Gervonta. The fans would take Ryan more seriously if he wasn’t preening so much on Instagram, and, of course, if he’d been fighting quality opposition for the last four years instead of the fodder-level guys.
“It’s about getting the fans excited, getting them to want to watch a big moment in my career, and in the boxing world it’s a huge moment,” said Ryan Garcia to Fino Boxing.
“It’s quite obvious. I want to fight Tank Davis next, and there’s so much more that is in store after this fight,” Ryan continued.
“After the Davis fight, the sky is the limit, I can do a lot of things. But the reason I say ‘Devin is last’ is because he’s my friend, but when I come in there, I’ll come with the same passion that I fight anybody.
Ryan expecting a quick knockout
“The more excited the fans are the more I’m happy. The words have been said, and it’s not even going to play a part.
“It’s the work is the truth, and I know I put in way more work than him. So I’m ready to do what I know I can do. I’m attempting to do things all the time.
“I’m going to be looking for a lot of openings, and if they come, I won’t miss it. I’m ready. All I ask for everybody watching, ‘Don’t blink.’ I don’t necessarily mean that they’re hating on me, but they’re envy and what I see, some of them, not all of them;
“Devin is my friend, I talk to him because that’s my friend. But I think everybody else, I think I want to make the fights exciting for the fans.
“I say I talk my talk and give excitement for the fans. That’s what the sport needs. I know people are pushing for it to be a certain way.
‘You’ve got to act like this or that,’ but I want to give what I felt when Oscar [De La Hoya] and [Floyd] Mayweather fought, [Ricky] Hatton and Mayweather fought, and Sonny Liston. Things like that.
“Those are what inspire me. That’s what I want to give to the fans and the young kids that watch me. I want them to be excited for a fight, and that’s what I try to do,” said Ryan.
Other weights on Saturday’s card on DAZN
Rene Alvarado 129.4 vs. Roger Gutierrez 129.6
Felix Alvarado 107.4 vs. DeeJay Kriel 107.4
Franchón Crews-Dezurn 171.4 vs. Ashleigh Curry 176.2
Alex Rincon 155.4 vs. Sergio Gonzalez 155.8
Asa Stevens 118.6 vs. Francisco Bonilla 118
Tristan Kalkreuth 194.2 vs. Jorge Martinez 198.4
Sean Garcia 134.2 vs. Rene Marquez 134.4