Ryan Garcia takes a shot at Shakur Stevenson, saying he's no Floyd Mayweather. The 26-year-old Garcia, currently on the sidelines after a positive doping test, shared his thoughts during a recent interview on the Say Cheese channel.
Garcia didn't hold back when talking about Stevenson, the current WBC Lightweight World Title holder. He criticized Stevenson's fighting style and star power, dismissing comparisons to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
"You don't bring no money to the table so why would anyone want to [fight] you? You're not like that. All your fights you run. You almost lost to Edwin. Tim Bradley [is] sucking your d*ck everytime he gets the chance. You are a bum. You are good, not great. Great can do offence and defence. Mayweather did offence and defence… you only do defence."
Garcia pointed out that while Stevenson is defensively sound, he lacks the offensive skills and entertainment value that made Mayweather a top pay-per-view attraction. He also mentioned Stevenson's close fight with Edwin De Los Santos and accused commentator Tim Bradley of overpraising the young champion.
This criticism comes at a tough time for both fighters. Garcia recently failed to make weight for his super-lightweight title fight against Devin Haney. Though he went on to win the fight, dropping Haney three times, the result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia failed a doping test. He's now banned for a year.
Stevenson has his own problems. He had to cancel his October 12 title defense against Joe Cordina due to a hand injury suffered in sparring.
While Stevenson's defensive skills have drawn comparisons to Mayweather, Garcia's comments highlight the gap between the two. At 47, Mayweather's legacy as both a defensive master and offensive threat still looms large in the boxing world.
For Stevenson, these criticisms suggest he'll need to step up his offensive game and overall appeal if he wants to reach Mayweather's level of stardom in the sport.
