Luke Campbell is unsure if American Golden Boy Ryan Garcia has the substance to accompany his style and sizeable social media following.
This week, the WBC ordered a fight between Campbell and Californian hope Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) for its interim title after the Hull man’s original opponent Javier Fortuna withdrew to face Jorge Linares for the organisation’s Diamond title amid bewildering boxing politics.
The flashy and photogenic Garcia, a fighter for the Instagram generation, has impressed thus far as a pro, but it remains to be seen if the 21-year-old can cope with a seasoned contender like Campbell who took Vasiliy Lomachenko 12 spirited rounds last August.
“I know [Garcia] has mentioned my name in the past but what he says and what he does are two completely different things,” Campbell told Sky Sports.
“I’m well up for this fight. He is a big name, he draws a lot of attention. He looks like he carries power and he has speed. We’ll soon find out, won’t we? He has a hell of a following [6.6 million Instagram followers] but they won’t help him in the ring.”
Confusingly, the WBC already has two world title-holders at lightweight including Franchise champion Lomachenko and another American hotshot Devin Haney, only 21 and the sanctioning body’s ‘full’ champion.
Two-time world title challenger Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) is yet to be convinced by either Garcia or Haney until they step up their quality of opposition.
“It’s hard to see what they are about until they have been in the ring with someone of quality who has a good CV,” said Campbell.
“By the amount of fights they have had, I had already beaten two former world champions. Neither of them have fought a former world champion yet. Time will tell.”
Main photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom.