Ryan Garcia vows to fight anyone as WBC welterweight champ

WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia said he considers it his duty to face all comers now that he holds a major title.

Garcia told Complex Sports that he has no intention of avoiding top opponents as long as contract terms are fair. "As a champion, I have a responsibility to uphold boxing in the most respectful manner without putting myself in a bad predicament," he said. "But I'm the type of person who will fight everyone, especially when all the terms are equal and fair. I'll fight anybody."

Garcia's rumored Benn defense and other targets

The 27-year-old Californian claimed during a May 18 appearance on The Tonight Show that he would defend against Conor Benn on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, though no formal announcement has followed. The Ring Magazine noted that Garcia has also been connected to potential rematches with Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Rolando Romero, plus first-time meetings with Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, and Manny Pacquiao.

Garcia won the WBC strap in February by dominating Mario Barrios across twelve rounds. Ranked fifth at welterweight by The Ring, he said his amateur pedigree prepared him for the pressure of facing elite competition. "I've never been scared in my life to fight top competition, ever since the amateurs," Garcia told Complex. "I fought everybody. I fought in the hardest divisions."

No date has been set for Garcia's mandatory defense or his next voluntary bout.

Source: ringmagazine.com