O’Malley Told To Box Ryan Garcia
Teddy Atlas has advised Sean O’Malley to box Ryan Garcia rather than Gervonta Davis.
O’Malley has expressed his desire to crossover into boxing, having previously been linked with Davis and Garcia. A large part of this happening depends on the UFC CEO Dana White allowing it to happen. White allowed Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor to happen in 2017, as the Irishman made a reported $100 million. O’Malley is one of the UFC’s biggest stars as he will headline The Sphere’s first-ever combat sports event at the arena on September 14.
But a boxing fight will only increase his profile and earn him a huge purse. Garcia is currently banned for failing a positive test for Ostarine. He can box from April 2025, after which a fight with O’Malley could come about. Garcia has a massive social media following on X, which is over a million. Meanwhile, his Instagram following is over 12 million, making him one of the most talked-about stars.
Atlas On O’Malley
That will help attract crossover fans, which is vital to a commercial fight. There are also stylistic differences that make Garcia a little easier to face than Davis. O’Malley has quick hand speed and the ability to counterpunch, which are similar attributes to Garcia, but Davis is seen as a more well-rounded fighter. Atlas felt O’Malley had a better chance to beat Garcia than Davis.
“Who would I take out of those two top guys? I’m not knocking him, but I wouldn’t take ‘Tank’ Davis. I’m not saying the other guy is a walk in the park at all. Obviously, not at all. But I’d take Garcia because ‘Tank’ Davis to me is the more well-rounded fighter. There are more things to worry about. He can punch. He can counterpunch. [And] he can get you. There are so many facets to his game, and he’s so consistent. Garcia hasn’t shown us that can be consistent,” Atlas said
Nevertheless, O’Malley has to get past Merab Dvalishvili first. The latter has his last ten flights, making him the leading contender in the division. He has also tried to get into O’Malley’s head after sharing some footage showing him getting stitches after a cut.
O’Malley’s Next Fight
Merab then shared another clip of himself removing the stitches. That drew backlash from White and O’Malley, who had concerns that Merab could pull out. The winner is expected to fight Umar Nurmagomedov next, who is currently 6-0. O’Malley is confident about his chances as he warns Merab that he will open the cut up.
“I am 100 percent going to open up that cut, whether it’s healed or not. I don’t know how much it can heal. I’ve never had any bad cuts so I’m not sure, really. But I’m going to be [aiming for the cut]. That’s the left side of his face — this right hand doesn’t miss. I’ll probably accidentally hit his nose before I hit that cut, the nose just kind of takes up 85 percent of his face. So I’m going to try and get around his nose to get to that cut,” O’Malley stated
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