Eddie Hearn is excited by young American prospect Ryan Garcia, but has questioned just how good the lightweight is.
The Matchroom promoter is helping to oversee a fight between Luke Campbell and 22-year-old Garcia on Dec. 5, with a venue yet to be decided.
It is a clash that Hearn has discussed regularly over the last few months, suggesting that it was one of the few fights that are easier to make during the coronavirus pandemic because generating a hefty gate is not essential to financing a deal.
Speaking to the Ak & Barak show, Hearn said that Garcia is talented but still has a lot to prove.
“I think it's so fascinating because we have no clue whether or not Ryan Garcia will be The Golden Boy, just average, great, or he will flop,” he began.
“Garcia never fought anyone in the Top 15, so we may never know what will happen. I am happy with either result of this fight.”
He then explained that Garcia already had his respect for his help in sorting out a birthday present for his daughter earlier in the year.
“Ryan Garcia is such a GUY. My daughter is a fan of Noah Beck [a social media celebrity], and Beck follows Ryan Garcia. I DM’d Garcia to hope on getting Beck to greet her happy birthday, and he came through.”
Campbell and Garcia are far from the only talents in the lightweight division. Teofimo Lopez Jr.’s dismantling of Vasiliy Lomachenko has re-energised the class, and Hearn thinks that there could be an era of huge fights to come between the various contenders.
“The lightweight division is hotter than what's going on at welterweight. We are seeing young blood run the division here,” he said.
“This is one of the greatest eras for lightweight, as long as everyone fights each other. Teofimo is now on top. Now, it's time [Devin] Haney gets a big shot, as well as [Gervonta] Davis, Ryan Garcia, Luke Campbell, and Shakur Stevenson.”