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Boxing is better when Ryan Garcia is in great shape

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LAS VEGAS – “Crossroads fight” is one of the most overused terms in boxing. However, in the case of Ryan Garcia, it was more than adequate for his fight against Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on Saturday.

A victory would allow Garcia to fulfill his enormous potential and win his first major world title after a tumultuous last few years that have left many wondering whether his desires would ever match his immense potential and unique talent. A loss would be devastating for one of the most popular fighters in all of boxing and would relegate him to one of the biggest “What if?” stories from recent memory.

Fortunately for Garcia, the first scenario came true as he dominated Barrios with a breathtaking combination of speed and power, almost finishing at the T-Mobile Arena to capture his first world championship. The victory opened up a host of lucrative opportunities for his first title defense, as he would be able to choose from an extremely enormous field of opponents who would be clamoring to get in the ring with him.

And honestly, boxing is in a better place with Garcia at the top of his game.

“I feel so grounded and composed,” Garcia said at the post-fight news conference, contrasting with a tumultuous two years in which he dealt with adversity in and out of the ring. “I don’t even think I’m even close to my ceiling yet. I think it’s going to be even crazier and I’m going to be even better than what I showed today.”

Garcia did an excellent job of dismantling Barrios, who was unable to keep up with Garcia’s exceptional speed and precise punches, making him look like a deer in the headlights for much of the fight. Garcia is a special talent with a devastating left hook. However, he displayed a complete skill set that started with a pair of overhand rights in the first round that put Barrios on the court and set the tone for the rest of the fight. Simply put, when Garcia is at his best, few can match his exceptional skills.

Garcia has always wanted to test himself against boxing’s best, but his previous attempts may have been premature as losses to Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Rolando “Rolly” Romero – as well as missing the fight against Devin Haney due to a failed test for a banned substance – hampered his progress. His performance on Saturday suggests that he is ready to fully realize his potential and face all his rivals.

“You know who I want? He’s in there. So, Shakur Stevenson, let’s go,” Garcia said in the ring after the victory. “Hey, I want to be a great champion and I’m not afraid…. I fought Devin Haney. I’ll fight Shakur Stevenson. I’ll fight anyone.”

Garcia lost to Stevenson in the amateur category in 2013 and has been waiting for revenge ever since. Given Stevenson’s recent dominance over Teofimo Lopez Jr. and winning the WBO junior welterweight title, it seems likely that a fight will occur between the two.

“I still have that chip on my shoulder,” Garcia said. “I’ve wanted this rematch for a minute. I hope we get it.”

With Garcia already establishing himself as a star and Stevenson gaining popularity with his recent performances, the fight between the two could be one of the most significant in boxing. Stevenson doesn’t see anything stopping this fight from happening next.

“He wants to fight me and I want to fight him, so it should be an straightforward thing to do,” Stevenson said during the post-fight show on DAZN. “I’ll make him an straightforward job.”

Between the trash talk and the clash of styles, the Garcia-Stevenson fight would be a close fight even without the world title. However, another option for Garcia is a rematch with WBO welterweight champion Haney, which would be a massive title unification fight with an enticing storyline.

Garcia and Haney have unfinished business, and the stakes are much higher because they are both world champions. Garcia-Haney 2 should be fought for next.

“Devin doesn’t want that,” Garcia said dismissively. – He’s terrified.

Aside from Stevenson and Haney, all fighters like Conor Benn and Romero want a piece of “KingRy.”

“Congratulations champ. See you later this year. Make sure you keep my belt balmy” – Benn, who recently left Matchroom Boxing to sign with Zuffa Boxing, posted on X after the fight.

As for Stevenson, a fight with Benn in the UK on his welterweight debut would be an ideal way to expose him to the winner of Garcia-Haney.

Years ago, Garcia was one of boxing’s four modern kings, but for Saturday’s fight, he was a king without a crown. Now that he has been crowned and taken his place as one of the rulers of the welterweight division, everything seems bigger and more significant. He already had money and fame. Now he enjoys the respect of his peers.

The stakes for Garcia are higher than ever before, and things become much more captivating when he performs at a high level.

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Boxing

World champion will be stripped of his title if he refuses to fight David Benavidez next: ‘That’s it’

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World champion to be stripped of title if he refuses to face David Benavidez next: “That’s it”

David Benavidez won the WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles with his last fight, and the “Mexican Monster” may add to his collection in the future after one of the world champions was ordered to fight him under the threat of being stripped of his belt.

Last month I moved up from light heavyweight and dethroned Gilberto Ramirez in sensational styleBenavidez now holds the WBA (regular) and WBC featherlight heavyweight world titles, as well as his recently won unified cruiserweight crown.

As a result, the 29-year-old must decide whether he should return to the featherlight heavyweight scene or stay in the cruiserweight division, where he put in arguably the best performance of his career last time out after tuning out his fight with Jai Opetaia.

However, Benavidez was also named the WBC cruiserweight mandatory challenger and was ordered to fight WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, another who has been linked to a fight with Opetaia.

If Mikaelian refuses to defend the title against Benavidez, the WBC president announced in an interview for the WBC magazine that he would strip the Armenian of the belt. Boxing Scene.

“The WBC order is Mikaelian against Benavidez. That’s all. If he fights again, he will waive his obligations to the WBC.”

“[There is no deadline] at this time. I will be talking to different managers. This is the highest priority. I look forward to making sure that happens.”

If Mikaeilian decides to continue the fight with Opetaia and thus lose the world title, it can be expected that Polish-born interim champion Michał Cieślak will benefit. Either he will be elevated to full world champion and ordered to make his first defense against Benavidez, or he will be included in a vacant belt fight against the three-division world champion.

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Peter Fury claims Tyson used the wrong tactics against Usyk

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Image: Tyson Fury's Social Media Post Keeps the Joshua Fight Fantasy Alive in the UK

“Well, he has his team there and I’m not criticizing anyone, but in both fights his tactics weren’t good,” Peter said in an interview with Sport Boxing.

“It worked out badly because look, if we have a little guy here who can throw, let’s say, a welterweight who can throw a thousand punches, and we have a heavyweight, will a heavyweight fighter throw a thousand punches with him? No.”

“Or maybe he’ll step in and take one good shot? Absolutely.”

“So basically yes, the strategy was just wrong. It doesn’t mean Usyk was better than him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t say anything. You misunderstand the tactics and they are wrong.

“And you know, when you look at Usyk’s structure and what he does, when he distances himself and tries to box an elite boxer who is lighter than you and who is giving away pounds, he will ping you all over the shop. That should be noticed,” Peter Fury said.

Tyson Fury announced his return earlier this year and is expected to have a preparatory fight before the start of his scheduled series with Anthony Joshua. Queensbury promoter Frank Warren recently confirmed that Fury’s next opponent could be announced in the coming days, with the long-awaited fight against Joshua expected to take place later this year.

Usyk remains at the top of the heavyweight division and has been ordered to fight WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel. Warren also confirmed that negotiations for the fight are ongoing.

Fury’s third meeting with Usyk has not been announced. Peter Fury, however, remains convinced that the strategy used in the first two fights determined the result.

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The politician’s perfect 12-0 KO record remains the strangest in boxing

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Jorge Kahwagi poses at a WBC weigh-in during his controversial 12-0 professional boxing career

Jorge Kahwagi achieved something almost impossible in professional boxing. The Mexican politician retired with a perfect record of 12-0, knocked out every opponent he faced, and finished his entire career in just 15 rounds.

On paper, this looks like one of the most devastating runs the sport has ever seen. In fact, many boxing fans wondered if they even believed it.

Perfect record

Kahwagi turned professional in 2001, despite having no boxing experience. Over the next fourteen years, he set an undefeated record, won regional titles, and never once heard the final bell.

Twelve fights brought twelve victories. All twelve victories were by knockout in just fifteen rounds.

The numbers are tough to understand even now.

Several of Kahwagi’s opponents entered the ring in defeat. Others seemed hopelessly outmatched.

But the record continued to grow as the politician and businessman rose through the cruiserweight ranks without ever being seriously tested.

By the time he retired in 2015 after returning from a ten-year hiatus for one final fight, Kahwagi owned one of boxing’s most remarkable undefeated records.

Why fans never bought it

The controversy surrounding Kahwaga was not in itself. This is how some of these victories turned out.

His last fight against Ramon Olivas remains the fight most frequently mentioned in discussions about Kahwagi’s career. The break came after seemingly minimal contact, prompting criticism from fans and observers.

Doubts have already surrounded previous victories, including the victory over veteran Roberto Coelho.

Whether these doubts were justified or not, the damage was done and many fans never accepted Kahwagi’s record at face value.

WBC

Boxing has seen this before

Kahwagi’s record may be extraordinary, but in boxing there is always controversy when it comes to results.

As WBN reports, while John Riel Casimero faces a fight-fixing investigation in 2025, debates continue to arise in the contemporary era about what happens inside the ropes.

Long before that, Roy Jones Jr. denied winning Olympic gold in Seoul despite dominating Park Si-hun in what many still consider the greatest heist in boxing history.

More than thirty years later, Park returned the medal to Jones.

The Kahwagi case falls into a different category, but the result is often the same. Once fans stop believing what they’re watching, the debate never really stops.

Still one of the strangest

Few fighters retire with a perfect record, and even fewer retire after every knockout victory.

Kahwagi handled both, finishing his entire professional career in just 15 innings, and those numbers remain remarkable.

More than a decade after his retirement, the debate surrounding his record has never really died down.

That’s why Jorge Kahwagi’s perfect 12-0 record remains one of the strangest in boxing history.


About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

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