Bernard Hopkins Wants Garcia vs Spence – ‘That Is Something People Want To See’
Bernard Hopkins is confident that a fight with Ryan Garcia and Errol Spence Jr. will do good business.
Garcia is coming off his best career winner when he dropped Devin Haney three times to give The Dream the first defeat. The victory was clouded by controversy because Garcia weighed more than the junior welterweight limit, 3.2 pounds over 140. This meant Garcia was prevented from fighting for the WBC Junior Welterweight Title, leaving Haney as the champion.
While that may have been the case, the win made Garcia the face of boxing. Before the fight, the boxer indicated that he had been drinking and smoking weed, showing that he was not focused on the fight. His social media activity also raised suggestions that his mindset was not in the right place. The fight was not called off as Garcia entered the ring. After the victory, he admitted that some of his antics were scripted.
Garcia’s Following
Nevertheless, his social media following increased exponentially. He is on his way to a million followers on X. His following on Instagram also skyrocketed by over 1 million since the fight, as he is close to reaching 12 million followers. That leaves Garcia as the A-side in his upcoming fights, as he called out Spence. Spence and Garcia used to train together under Derrick James.
However, Spence left on bad terms after reports that James filed a lawsuit against Spence, stating that he had not been paid. The issue was about the purse Spence had received for the Terence Crawford fight, where he pocketed a 25 million guarantee and PPV money. James claimed he was entitled to 10% of that, which Spence disputes. In response, Garcia stated that he would beat up Spence, raising suggestions that a fight could be made. Hopkins felt it was the right move from a business point of view.
Hopkins Reacts
“That is promotable. That is something people want to see and not just the storyline. Errol Spence, to me, is a threat to anybody and is definitely a good soap opera leading up to the action of fighting. It gives something to the fight that makes it personal.
“Personally, I say fight the best in the division for the most money and understand that you are Kingry and they make money by fighting you. If Spence is the one, which I believe if anybody if it ain’t Tank if it ain’t Spence and whoever else after that, those two I see at the top of the good chain. I absolutely agree with that. Anything else it to do to stay busy,” Hopkins said
The fight would require Garcia to move up to 147 or 154, which is possible since he cannot make 140. Garcia also revealed he was willing to box Sebastian Fundora, who is currently at 154. There are doubts about whether Spence is the same fighter. Terence Crawford dropped him three times on his way to a ninth-round knockout defeat. After the loss, Spence underwent cataract surgery over his right eye. While Spence wants to continue fighting, facing Garcia is a big risk, given his power.
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