Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia are both preparing for big fights, but the back and forth beef between the boxers seems to continue, and the bromance they once had appears to be no more.
After Alvarez learned that Garcia picked Gennadiy Golovkin to beat him in their Sept. 17 trilogy, Alvarez blasted Garcia and said he was ungrateful, has accomplished nothing throughout his six-year career, claimed that he owed former trainer Eddy Reynoso money, and that he wouldn’t beat Gervonta Davis if they were to fight.
Alvarez also took a shot at the 24-year-old Garcia’s credentials and pointed out that he was a champion by the age of 20 when he beat Matthew Hatton via unanimous decision for a vacant WBC super welterweight title in 2011.
During a training session this week at the Ten Goose Gym in Van Nuys, Calif., Garcia told Elie Seckbach of ESNews in an interview that his road to a world title is not as simple as it was for Alvarez.
“It may have been true [that Alvarez was a world champion at the age of 20]. But everybody’s journey is different,” said Garcia. “He fought for a vacant title against Matthew Hatton. That’s just the truth. I just have a lot of good people in my division. I can’t pick a Matthew Hatton and become a champion. I have to fight great fighters. It is what it is. I don’t mind that he fought Matthew Hatton. I’m just saying, you see the level. When I get my first chance, most likely it will be against Gervonta Davis. Now you tell me what’s worth more?”
The undefeated lightweight Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) competes in the lightweight division, which is headlined by recently crowned undisputed Devin Haney. Vasiliy Lomachenko, George Kambosos Jr., and Teofimo Lopez Jr. also compete at or near the weight class.
Garcia’s next test will come against Javier Fortuna on July 16 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on DAZN.
He’s looking forward to focusing on his fight in the ring against the former champion and not the verbal squabble outside of it against former stablemate Alvarez.
“Well, here’s the thing. People kept twisting it like I picked Triple G after he said that comment about me,” said Garcia. “They keep on trying to pin us together, putting us against each other. I just gave my opinion on why I believe that Triple G can win this fight. I just felt that he would have the performance of his lifetime. I feel that Canelo is not in a good place, but again, I am not going to speak any more on it. I don’t really feel like I should be bashed for speaking my opinion, my truth. He took it personally, because what he said was just comical.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
