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After Jake Paul’s unanimous decision against Mike Tyson earlier this month, speculation immediately turned to Paul’s next opponent. Ryan Garcia threw his hat into the ring and doubled down on his call on Tuesday.
“It would be huge,” Garcia said during a Tuesday appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I see it everywhere. Everywhere I go, people ask me to fight Jake Paul. I have to give the people what they want, that’s what I’m used to doing.”
Garcia is serving a one-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance before his April fight against Devin Haney. Garcia’s professional boxing license in New York State is suspended until April 20, 2025, but that isn’t stopping him from attempting to get in the ring.
Garcia appeared set to face Rukiya Anpo in an exhibition match in Tokyo on December 30, but Golden Boy Promotions disputed that idea on Tuesday. In a statement, it said that “Golden Boy Promotions holds the exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event (Garcia vs. Anpo) have recognized as such and have agreed in writing that our approval is necessary for this event can take place As no approval has been given, as of today, there are no events with Ryan Garcia.
Garcia said he wanted the fight to be a rematch for Anpo “beating” Manny Pacquiao. (Anpo, who was 28 at the time, competed in an exhibition boxing match in July against Pacquiao, 45.)
“I saw this guy way bigger than Manny Pacquiao and way younger, just beating him – well, trying to beat him –,” Garcia said. “I was just throwing haymakers throughout the fight and just being obnoxious in the ring. I was like, ‘Oh my God, man. If they give me a chance, I’m going to knock this guy out.’ “
Garcia said the same logic applied to Paul, 27, who faced Tyson, 58.
“He was trying to go after Uncle Mike (Tyson),” Garcia said. “Like I said, I feel the same way about Manny Pacquiao, the same way I feel about this.”
Garcia said if they fought, he fully intended to knock Paul out.
“If Jake fights like he fought Mike, I honestly believe I would knock him out in four (or) five rounds,” Garcia said. “We said we would do it one day. He came to my gym a long time ago in Victorville, then he came to visit me with the Canelo (Alvarez) camp – that was before he boxed . So I kind of gave birth to his boxing career, so I’m here to end it.”
Garcia primarily fought in the lightweight (135 pounds) and super lightweight (140 pounds) divisions, while Paul weighed in at 227 pounds before his fight with Tyson. Garcia said he would be willing to fight at a weight disadvantage if the two agreed to a match. He cited the June 2021 exhibition match between Logan Paul (189.5 pounds) and Floyd Mayweather (155 pounds) as an example.
This story first appeared on USA Today Sports.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ryan Garcia wants to fight Jake Paul – and end his career
