Garcia Tells ESPN On Becoming Boxing's Next Face

Ryan Garcia defended his claim to become boxing's next major star ahead of Saturday's WBC welterweight title defense against Conor Benn in Las Vegas, drawing comparisons to the era when Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather dominated the sport.

The 28-year-old California native, who captured the WBC belt with a win over Mario Barrios in February, told ESPN he understands what it takes to carry boxing forward in a social media-driven landscape. "I've really tried to put myself out there in order to keep boxing going, evolving and kids loving it the way I loved it," Garcia said, per Brett Okamoto's profile piece. "Watching Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather, I think if I keep putting that life into it, boxing will continue to go forward."

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Garcia's Social Media Edge In Modern Boxing

Garcia brings 13 million Instagram followers, 9 million TikTok fans and 1.8 million YouTube subscribers to a sport searching for mainstream crossover stars. Dana White, whose Saudi-backed Zuffa Boxing is handling logistics for Saturday's Paramount+ broadcast, called Garcia a bridge to younger audiences. "The reason we keep talking about [Garcia's social media following] is what that really means is that young people that traditionally don't watch boxing, will watch Ryan Garcia," White told ESPN. A recent commercial for the Benn fight topped 17 million views in one week.

The champion's recent track record complicates the narrative — he is 2-2 with one no contest in his past five appearances dating to 2023, including a positive test for ostarine that nullified his win over Haney. Boxing analyst Teddy Atlas acknowledged Garcia has positioned himself at the front of the line as new money and infrastructure enter the sport. "With the stars aligning, with Turki [Alalshikh] showing up and Dana White getting involved, Ryan has definitely put himself in the front of the line," Atlas said.

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Garcia once faced dismissal as an Instagram fighter more interested in followers than championships. He now frames that digital presence as the very thing separating him from peers in an era when Jake Paul's YouTube-boxer events draw massive numbers and traditional promotional models face disruption. First bell Saturday is 8 p.m. ET.

Source: espn.com