Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.
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Luke Campbell has made it clear he isn’t impressed with what he’s seen from unbeaten Ryan Garcia, his opponent on Jan. 2. The 2012 Olympic champion is so confident that he predicted a knockout when they meet at American Airlines Center in Dallas, which can be seen globally on DAZN.
Garcia fired back Friday during a virtual press conference, saying Campbell isn’t giving him credit for what he’s done so far in his career. He plans on making the Brit eat his words and then some for the comments.
“I feel very disrespected by Luke,” Garcia said. “All that disrespect, all that hate, and all that envy is going to blind him. Luke is just the first one. I feel bad for Luke.
“He’s just the first one of my opponents that’s going to get it bad. I’m older, stronger and coming into myself. I already felt I was coming into myself for the Fonseca fight. I was on a roll and ready to takeover.
“God said how it was supposed to be. I cannot wait to punish Luke Campbell. I want to break his eye. I want to break his bones. I want to break everything off of him.”
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Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) burst onto the scene as a legitimate contender after his scintillating back-to-back knockouts over Romero Duno and Francisco Fonseca in November of last year and in February. Those wins are paired with a massive social media presence, more than 7.7 million followers on Instagram and nearly 465,000 on Twitter.
But some believe that Garcia is overhyped and the experience Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) has — including title challenges against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares — will give Campbell an advantage come fight night.
Garcia quickly dismissed that notion and vowed to make those who doubt him eat their words.
“I don’t even know what they are talking about,” Garcia said. “What experience does he have? Every time he stepped up, he lost. He even lost to a guy we never heard of. Whose Yvan Mendy?
“He talks a lot of s— about me and saying he’s going to KO me. But, to be honest, anytime a guy who shouldn’t have been in the ring with me, I got him out of there real quick.
“I’m going to prove to everybody that Luke Campbell doesn’t have it. It’s my time. It’s my era. I’m ready to show the world who I really am. I’m not here to play games.
“I’m tired of hearing all the misconceptions about me on Instagram and whatnot. They don’t know the work I put in. This is my time. This is my moment, and I’m ready to show the world.”
Initially, Garcia had been tabbed to face Linares. But Linares was unable to enter the United States because of coronavirus travel restrictions. The focus shifted to Garcia facing Campbell on Dec. 5. The fight was moved to the first Saturday of 2021 because Campbell tested positive for COVID-19.
Garcia said he rolled with the change of opponents and delays.
“They really haven’t affected me,” Garcia said. “I’ve been training hard. If anything, it’s making me a little stronger. Luke Campbell, it’s inevitable for him.
“He’s just going to his ass whooped. Whether it be Dec. 5 or Jan. 2, his fate is the same.”
