Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence is too rugged, big, powerful, and skilled for Ryan Garcia to deal with at 147 or above. Garcia needs to pick his battles because this is not one that he needs.
Ryan (25-1, 20 KOs) claims he wants to beat Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) because of his legal problems with his trainer Derrick James. I guess Ryan feels that he’s showing his loyalty to Derrick by calling out Spence, who is coming off a knockout loss to Terence Crawford last year.
In the video call-out, Ryan was drinking out of a wine glass and stuffing himself with food while receiving constant glazing from people off camera. Was Ryan clear-headed when he said he would kick Spence’s backside?
Spence’s Size and Strength
If Ryan is serious about wanting to fight Spence, the Texas native will likely acccomodate, as long as he’s willing to move up in weight to 150 or higher.
Spence can’t make 147 any longer without draining himself to the point where’s sickly and weak, which some boxing fans believe factored in his loss to Crawford. Errol started training camp too heavy, and it killed him getting down to 147.
Ryan could be asking for trouble fighting an experienced warrior like Spence. The money would be good, but that is not a fight that he should be taking unless Spence drained like he was for the Crawford fight. If he’s at full strength, it won’t be pretty.
Ryan’s Misguided Loyalty
It’s nice that Ryan wants to show his loyalty to his trainer, Derrick James, but there are other ways of showing it than falling on a sword for him. The last thing Ryan needs is to wind up in the hospital after taking a beating from the still-dangerous Spence.
With all that dough Ryan has, he could buy a mansion for Derrick in the Dallas arena or a new gym building. Ryan doesn’t have to fight Spence and wind up as food for the 2012 Olympian. The difference in pedigree between Spence and Ryan is enormous.
It’s great that Ryan beat the feather-fisted, manufactured fighter Devin Haney last weekend, but Spence is the real thing. He’s not a fake fighter that carefully manuevered to achieve the things he’s accomplished in his career.
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