Ryan Garcia says he would give Terence Crawford “the biggest payday of his life” if he agrees to fight him. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who just turned 37, probably won’t take him up on his offer because he’s obsessed with getting a megafight against Canelo Alvarez before he retires, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
If Ryan really wanted to fight Crawford, it would be crazy for him to turn the fight down. He’s not going to get the Canelo fight in a million years, and there’s no one at 147, 154, 160 or 168 who can give him the pay that Ryan would give him.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) might have been teasing Crawford by telling fans he would like to fight him because he is currently not in a position to fight anyone. On social media today, Ryan mentioned that he wants to do some exhibition fights in Japan, but they likely wouldn’t involve Crawford.
Ryan, 26, says he finds Crawford boring, and that’s actually pretty true. Crawford is boring to watch because he’s a boxer. The guys he’s knocked out were either old, screwed up from car accidents or just not that good to begin with.
“As far as Bud Crawford goes, I already called him out. I think he’s just trying to get a fight with Canelo Alvarez. So I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Ryan Garcia said on social media, speaking about wanting to fight Terence Crawford.
“I would love to fight Bud Crawford. I don’t think he’s as good as people say. I say that publicly and I say that live right now. If Bud is listening, I would love to fight you. I feel like I would literally beat the shit out of you.”
Crawford would have to be terribly spoiled to pass up an offer like this to fight Ryan, because he’s not going to get anything better.
“You’re a good fighter, but I don’t think you’ve beaten anyone with talent, explosiveness and power. In my opinion, you may have beaten Shawn Porter. He’s a great fighter, but a little basic. Errol Spence Jr. is coming off an accident. I don’t think he’s that good,” Garcia said.
“Have you ever fought anyone who has one-punch knockout power? No. That’s why I think Bud Crawford is overrated. You guys can have your own opinions about that. That’s what I think. I’m a boxer. I don’t care. I’ll fight him and knock him out. I feel like that’s it. Period,” Garcia said.
Ryan Garcia’s left hook would definitely knock Crawford out if he landed it on the button. Crawford was badly hurt by former featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa many years ago, and if he was hurt back then, he can be equally hurt by Ryan now. Crawford took a lot of hard shots from Israil Madrimov in their August 3 fight, and that wouldn’t have done him any good.
“I would fight him. There’s a difference. I would fight him. You could see Ryan Garcia in the ring with Bud Crawford. I can’t speak for these other fighters. I don’t know if Tank would fight Bud Crawford, but I know I would. I would fight Bud Crawford with pride, and I would go in there and give it everything I have,” Garcia said.
A Ryan-Crawford fight would generate big numbers, but only for Kingry. Crawford would come to the fight. It may not matter if Turki Alalshikh pays Crawford, but the PPV numbers would not be on the level of the Garcia-Gervonta Davis fight.
“If he doesn’t want it, it’s not my fault. If he doesn’t think it’s a fight, it’s not my fault. He’s not a draw. He doesn’t bring anything to the table. He’s boring as fuck, but I’d probably give him the biggest prize of his life if he takes the fight,” Ryan said.
If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is interested in paying Crawford tons of money to fight an unpopular 154-pound fighter, he’ll probably do it. He won’t agree to fight anyone not named Canelo without Turki paying him handsomely.
