Ryan Garcia’s victory on Saturday looks to have set up a tantalising welterweight title unification clash against WBA champion Teofimo Lopez, but Gervonta Davis’ coach Calvin Ford has admitted that he sees that fight as a mismatch.
Garcia dispatched of Conor Benn inside two rounds to defend his WBC welterweight crown for the first time and lay down the gauntlet to his 147lb rivals as he seeks to take over the division and become the ‘face of boxing’.
Already the win has seen Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis share his interest in a rematch with Garcia, despite knocking the Californian out in April 2023, but it seems as though Lopez is next on the hit-list of ‘King Ry’.
Speaking to MillCity Boxing, Ford declared his belief that Garcia will ‘walk right through Lopez’.
“Teofimo and him? Nah. He had a good night with Rolly [Romero], that was it, but looking at Garcia, nah. He is going to walk right through him [Lopez], easy.”
Instead, despite ongoing talks for a rematch between Garcia and his fighter, Ford also stated that ‘King Ry’ should be targeting a rematch with fierce rival and reigning WBO welterweight ruler Devin Haney.
“For me, personally, that [Garcia-Lopez] is not a good match-up. Everybody thinks it’s a good match-up, the next fight for him [Garcia] should be Devin, that’s the match-up.
“Teofimo, he had a great night with Rolly, I give him his props but I don’t think that he is a match for Ryan. Simple as that.
“It’s not even a match, if I was Ryan’s team I would be trying to get back at Devin. I’d be trying to go at Devin because that is the money fight, that is the fight, to settle that on both sides.”
If Garcia is able to capture Lopez’s WBA strap and Haney follows through on plans to take on and defeat IBF champion Liam Paro, fans could see a mammoth undisputed title grudge match between Garcia and Haney in late 2027.
