Ryan Garcia has been invited to enter a catchweight matchup that has been ‘brewing’ for ‘almost three years,’ despite reports indicating that he is gearing up to face Mario Barrios in February.
The 27-year-old was last seen losing to Rolando Romero, the current WBA world welterweight champion, via unanimous decision in May.
Back then, Garcia had only just returned from his year-long drugs ban, which he was handed by the New York State Athletic Commission after testing positive for ostarine.
The lacklustre nature of his performance against Romero saw him dropped in the second round and handily beaten down the stretch.
It was a far cry from his display against Devin Haney, who he floored three times and eventually outpointed in April 2024, before his majority decision victory was overturned to a no-contest due to the positive drugs test.
Despite his lack of a win since 2023, when he stopped Oscar Duarte, Garcia is expected to secure an immediate world title shot, against WBC welterweight champion Barrios, on a reported date of February 21.
While this appears to be the plan, ‘King Ry’ has now been called out for a fight against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, who boxed to a fiercely-contested draw with Lamont Roach Jr last month.
According to Cruz, who spoke with ESPN Knockout, Garcia has remained on his radar for a considerable length of time.
“That fight has been brewing for almost three years now, and I think it would be more than attractive to all of the fans.”
With Cruz typically campaigning at 140lbs, he believes that an agreed catchweight between welter and super-lightweight could offer an ideal solution for both parties.
“Those would be points to discuss internally. I think [the fight could happen] in an intermediate category, or a [catchweight].”
As things stand, Garcia still plans o face Barrios in February, pending an official announcement, but a clash with Cruz – dubbed a mini Mike Tyson for his relentless style and praised by the heavyweight legend himself – may be an option later this year.