By: Hans Themistode
An epiphany of sorts has just swept over Ryan Garcia.
After taking a long, hard look at his fellow peers, the 23-year-old lightweight contender has come to one conclusion.
“I will become the best boxer of this era,” said Garcia on his social media page. “I will call it now.”
Garcia’s brazen declaration comes off the heels of the biggest win of his career just a few short months ago. At American Airlines Center, in Dallas Texas in January, Garcia peeled himself up off the deck to later stop perennial contender Luke Campbell. The California native appeared set to build off his star-making performance as he was pegged to take on former multiple division titlist, Javier Fortuna.
However, with Garcia citing that he would be unfit to take part in their contest due to mental health issues, he removed himself from their showdown and took a hiatus from the sport. Now, after seemingly getting his mind right, Garcia is inching towards a return to the ring.
According to numerous reports, Garcia and his team are hammering out a deal to take on WBC interim titlist, Joseph Diaz. The previously mentioned Diaz earned his lightweight stripes earlier this year as he stepped in on short notice to take on Fortuna.
Despite moving up in weight, Diaz proved that he was more than capable of hanging with some of the more accomplished names in the division by winning a fairly wide unanimous decision victory on the night. With the win, Diaz became the number one mandatory challenger to Devin Haney and his WBC title.
While the undefeated belt holder has welcomed a showdown against Diaz with open arms, it appears as though he’s heading towards a matchup against Garcia.
Regardless of whether Garcia faces Diaz or Haney, the lightweight contender believes that the best and most important part of his career is on the verge of beginning.
“Time to begin the prime years.”