Ryan Garcia will be hoping to make a statement to the rest of the lightweight division when he faces Emmanuel Tagoe this coming Saturday live on DAZN.
The 23-year-old has experienced a meteoric rise since his first professional fight in 2016, but 2021 was a year to forget.
Following a stoppage win over Luke Campbell on January 2nd, Garcia has had battle through mental health issues and injuries ahead of his return to the ring.
Now he is set to lace up the gloves once more and actress Rosie Perez has nothing but praise for one of world boxing's brightest stars.
"There is a lot riding on the line for Ryan Garcia," Perez told The DAZN Boxing Show.
"I’m wondering, is he really coming back with that mental, stable, ‘I will win by any means necessary’ Ryan Garcia that we know.
"His videos, he looks amazing, I’ve seen him on his interviews, he seems solid, he seems like he has grown up, I don’t know too much about his opponent, I watched a few fights and thought this is going to be a good fight."
A win for Garcia would not only put his career back on track, but in the eyes of Perez it would silence the critics who questioned whether Garcia is serious about his boxing career.
"But I really hope Ryan Garcia wins because this young kid had the courage to say, ‘I need a timeout’, took that timeout and he came back, and you’ve got to give the kid a lot of credit fo that.
"In this day and age with social media, and cancel culture, a lot of people made fun of him, a lot of people just counted him out and said that he was done. He said ‘No’, that is a heart and mind of a true champion."