Ryan Garcia prepared to fight Conor McGregor in move to MMA
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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Ryan Garcia has announced that he will retire from boxing by the time he’s 26 and then move on to MMA.
The 22-year-old lightweight is focused on boxing at the moment. “King Ryan” is coming off a one-punch knockout of Luke Campbell on Jan. 2. Now he has his sights set on Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney or other big-name fighters for his next assignment.
However, speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, he suggested that the long-term plan could look different than might be expected.
“You know what I’m willing to do? And I haven’t said this out loud. Say at 26 I’m done, I’ve retired from boxing. You know what I’ll do?” he said.
“If someone says I’ve beaten everybody in the ring, I’ll go prove to them that I’m the best all-round fighter in the world. I’m talking about hands, I’m talking about wrestling.
“I will go to MMA to prove a point that God is greatest. And I’ll go beat whoever it is in MMA they say I won’t beat. If it has to be Conor McGregor, I will.
“I’m not saying this to get money, I don’t care about money. I’m saying this because that’s how I feel.”
Garcia has suggested that another option for late this year or early 2022 is Manny Pacquiao, the iconic welterweight titleholder. The young Californian sees it as a changing-of-the-guard matchup.
Garcia about that prospect: “Maybe after Gervonta, hopefully, this is out of respect. … Can we share that ring together and please pass that torch to me?”