Ryan Garcia Will Fight In April – ‘It’s A Done Deal’
Ryan Garcia’s father, Henry Garcia, says his son will fight in April.
Garcia is serving a year ban after failing VADA tests for Ostarine, which overturned his win against Devin Haney into a no-contest. Garcia is set to make his return in an exhibition in January before he can fight professionally in April 2025. He will fight Jaber Zayani in Dubai. This is seen as a tune-up before he prepares himself for the biggest bouts.
There had been speculation that he could have rematched Haney on his return. Haney and Garcia were open to running things back. However, Oscar De La Hoya has ruled that out. Instead, he has teased a possible fight with the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez. The Takeover previously confirmed that he had received a $1.5 million offer to fight Ryan.
Garcia’s Return
However, De La Hoya shut down those claims, stating that no such offer had been made. Lopez is keen on securing the biggest fights for the most amount of money, which is why a fight with Garcia is appealing. Lopez is also looking to move up from 140 pounds, as he eyed a bout with Terence Crawford. However, since Crawford boxes at 154, that appears unlikely, making Garcia a good alternative. Another option for Garcia is to face the other big names in and around 140, such as Liam Paro. Paro is the IBF Junior Welterweight Champion.
He defeated Subriel Matias in his last fight. He will defend his title against Richardson Hitchins on December 24. If Paro comes through with a win, there is an opportunity to make that fight. There is also an alternative to potentially face Jack Catterall. Jack is coming off two-career-best wins, beating the former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor and two-time junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis in his last fight. A win over Garcia secures his financial future and takes him closer to getting a title shot. Henry confirmed that a deal is already agreed for Ryan to return in April.
Henry Garcia Reacts
“Guaranteed. Ryan is coming back in April. It’s on. Him and Oscar [De La Hoya] already know. They already talked. It’s a done deal. We’re going to have a good fight right from the beginning [in April in Ryan’s first fight back]. They’re already setting things up. They’re communicating with Ryan. It’s a done deal. In the meantime, you’ve got to have a tuneup, and Dubai is a tuneup [in January].
“He ended up making a deal with somebody out there, and it seems like it’s going to happen. That’s in Dubai. His actual comeback, his real thing, is in April. I think it’ll be an exhibition There are some names out there, and one he did mention is Teofimo [Lopez], and there will be some other ones that he mentioned that will be very surprising. It’s going to happen. Just like we said with Haney and Tank, it’s going to happen,” Henry said
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