Ryan Garcia is changing the way a fight can be sold. At least, that’s what Henry Cejudo thinks.
The 25 year-old boxing phenom shocked the world over the weekend, knocking down Devin Haney three times on the path to a majority decision victory. Garcia would have been crowned the WBC Super Lightweight Champion, had he only made weight at 140lbs instead of missing the mark by 3lbs.
Before putting on a show in the Barclays Center on Saturday night, Garcia played ring leader for what was a media circus in the lead-up to his fight with Haney. Many fans were concerned with Garcia’s well-being as the boxer went on many social media tangents, thought to be the result of substance abuse by UFC’s Sean O’Malley among others.
“The Best Troll Comeback Of All Time”
Through all of his “crazy” antics and after facing tons of criticism, Garcia proved that his boxing skills were up-to-par against a handful in the undefeated Haney, all while drinking alcohol regularly.
“If your little girl, Kamaru, knows exactly what’s going on, then this dude is doing something right,” UFC star Henry Cejudo said of Garcia on ‘Pound 4 Pound’ with Kamaru Usman. “We saw the tweet from Jorge Masvidal, the best troll comeback of all time. Ryan Garcia, he is a problem.”
A Different Way Of Doing Things
Henry Cejudo, a former two-division UFC Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, says Garcia had all the pressure in the world on him going into Saturday, especially with what he showing in the fight’s build-up. Yet, “King Ryan” still found a way to prevail in the ring and prove his doubters wrong.
“The fact that this fight nobody was believing Ryan whether he was gonna show up or not,” Cejudo continued. “The fact that ticket sales at the Barclays Center weren’t doing very well, like quarter of the arena was filled and it was two weeks out, people started to worry. But, as the marketing started taking place, as this man started acting weird in these interviews, him drinking beer, then obviously you get both of the dads involved and they start throwing things at each other and things of that nature— the crazy push from Devin Haney.
“I mean, is Ryan Garcia a bit nuts? Yeah. It’s a bit nuts. But, can I tell you something? He was able to use that pressure. He was able to use everything that he said. He was able to back it up.”
What is this Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney interview 😭 pic.twitter.com/6xKdC3wqjr
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 16, 2024
“There was one thing that he did to Devin Haney and even a guy like Devin Haney even said, ‘I don’t even know if Ryan Garcia is taking this thing serious’. I think that’s how it is. I think that’s what it is, and I just find it just different,” Cejudo remarked.
Henry Cejudo Says ‘There’s A Bit Of Cringe’ In Ryan Garcia
Somewhat similar to Garcia, Cejudo’s never been one to shy away from the mic in recent years. Following his UFC title win over Demetrious Johnson in 2018, “The Messenger” took a massive heel turn and adopted the ‘cringy’ persona known as “Triple C”. In turn, Cejudo has made many cheesy call-outs of the UFC’s biggest stars.
While Garcia couldn’t be further from Cejudo in terms of antics, the former champion sees shades of himself in “King Ryan” and how he is able to prosper in today’s game of fight promotion.
“I think with Ryan Garcia, I mean, he says a lot. He talks about religion. He talks about he talks about about fighting. He talks about saving it for the kids. It’s almost like there’s a bit of cringe in there,” Cejudo said. “There’s a bit of cringe in the but the way that he’s doing, he’s just been able to captivate a lot of like the newer crowd.
“I find it very interesting the way that he’s doing it… being a TikToker, being a good looking guy, it’s marketable. I think when you have a personality. We’re seeing with Ryan Garcia. We’re seeing a new phase of of what this new generation is more likely going to take the game. It’s not like the old school days where you guys just push and shove. Like like this dude’s clowning him. Like this dude’s doing sit downs. Like you’re saying some pretty obnoxious things to say the least. But whatever it is, this dude’s backing it up and he was able to to to back it up this weekend.”
“Embracing The Pressure, Selling The Fight” And Being “Who You Are”
Cejudo continued to get his point across.
“Embracing that pressure, selling the fight and things that nature, but also expressing who you are and being care-free. Like, at this point, Ryan Garcia, and I said before, he could talk about tickling buttholes, weed, and Jesus, all in the same sentence. But, it’s who he is and I think in in that nature, I think he has fun with it. I go back and I think of myself. I think he has fun with it.”
