Ryan Garcia has agreed to fight Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela at a catchweight of 145 lbs after his suspension expires in April 2025. Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) feels that a fight between him and the newly crowned WBA light welterweight champion ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) would be a big one on PPV.
Ryan Wants a Big PPV Fight
Garcia is one of the three biggest stars in the U.S., and riding the fame from his victory over Devin Haney on April 20th in Brooklyn, New York. Unfortunately, he tested positive for the banned drug Ostarine following that fight, but he says he’s innocent.
A rematch with Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) might be the better option for Ryan, 26, than a fight against ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela because there would be more fan interest in a second clash. If Haney isn’t beaten, a rematch between him and Kingry Garcia will do massive numbers.
Ryan also called out Terence Crawford, saying that he’s “boring” and is “wasting people’s money’ with his fights that fail to “entertain” the fans. If he’s up for it, Garcia says he wants to fight the 36-year-old Crawford.
A fight between Ryan and Crawford would be far bigger than matches against Rayo and Haney. However, Crawford might balk at the idea if he’s still fixated on fighting Canelo Alvarez with his hopeless pipe dream of that fight happening.
Ryan Garcia: “We can do it in April. I don’t fight at 140, but we can do it at 147 or 154. We can meet in the middle at 144.”
Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela: “I can make 144.”
Garcia: “144 would be the ideal weight for me. We’ll figure out the numbers, but I feel like we can do a big fight.”
Valenzuela: “Let’s do it. You got two Mexican fighters.”
Garcia: “You’re a champion and beat somebody [Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz] that nobody thought you could beat. I also beat somebody that people didn’t think I could beat. It would be two fighters that were underdogs coming to fight each other, and I think we’d do a big fight.”
Valenzuela: “It would be huge. You talk to Oscar [De La Hoya], and I’ll talk to my people. I’d do a catchweight. The most I’d do is 145. Ryan, it’s different with me. I’m for real.”
Garcia: “I’m big, Rayo. I’m meaty. I’m 175 right now. My punch is crazy. You can say all I have is a left hook, but if it lands, it’s going to be a problem.”
Valenzuela: “We’re the same size. I’m 160. The one that Luke Campbell hit you with. I’m real good at throwing those.”
Garcia: “You like throwing those shots? I want to taste that, but you got to throw it right here, though.”
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