Two days into 2021 brings perhaps the fastest rising star in boxing as Ryan Garcia squares off with Luke Campbell on Saturday, Jan. 2, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The fight can be exclusively seen globally in over 200 countries on DAZN.
Initially, the bout had been set for Dec. 5, but Campbell tested positive for coronavirus in November.
Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) burst onto the scene as a real contender after his scintillating back-to-back knockouts over Romero Duno and Francisco Fonseca. Those recent wins are paired with a massive social media presence — the 22-year-old has over 7.7 million followers on Instagram and nearly 465,000 on Twitter — and there are some who are waiting to see if Garcia is more than just hype.
"I feel bad for Luke," Garcia said at a virtual press conference to promote the fight. "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."
Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs), a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is feeling well and ready to jump back into the ring for the first time since losing to former unified 135-pound lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko via unanimous decision in August 2019.
Whoever wins makes himself the mandatory challenger to WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney. Taking on someone the caliber of Campbell will give everyone an indication of where Garcia is at this stage of his career.
Can Garcia rise to the occasion in his most significant moment? Will Campbell finally pull through against a marquee opponent?
Here is everything you need to know about Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell.
When is Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell?
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 2
- Time: 3 p.m. ET (20:00 GMT)
- Garcia-Campbell: 6 p.m. ET (23:00 GMT)
Ryan Garcia's return to the ring against Luke Campbell takes place on Saturday, Jan. 2. The card starts at 3 p.m. ET, with Garcia and Campbell expected to take their ring walks about 6 p.m. ET, depending on the length of the earlier fights.
How to watch Garcia vs. Campbell: TV channel, live stream
- DAZN
The card will stream live globally on DAZN, to more than 200 countries and territories. DAZN isn't a traditional linear TV channel but is a live sports streaming platform that works with many internet-connected devices and smart TVs.
Click here to learn more about DAZN in your region.
Where is Garcia vs. Campbell taking place?
The Garcia vs. Campbell fight will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. A limited number of fans will be in attendance.
Garcia and Campbell will be competing at the venue for the first time.
Garcia vs. Campbell odds
Bet MGM (as of Dec. 15) has installed Garcia as a -250 favorite, meaning if you bet $250 on "KingRy", you'd win $100. Meanwhile, Campbell is a +175 underdog, so if you pluck down $100 on the Englishman, you'd win $175.
Ryan Garcia record and bio
- Name: Ryan Garcia
- Nationality: American
- Born: Aug. 8, 1998
- Height: 5-10
- Reach: 70 inches
- Total fights: 20
- Record: 20-0 with 17 knockouts
Luke Campbell record and bio
- Name: Luke Campbell
- Nationality: English
- Born: Sept. 27, 1987
- Height: 5-9
- Reach: 71 inches
- Total fights: 23
- Record: 20-3 with 16 knockouts
Garcia vs. Campbell fight card
- Ryan Garcia vs. Luke Campbell for the vacant WBC interim Lightweight title
- Rene Alvarado vs. Roger Gutierrez for Alvarado's WBA (regular) Junior Lightweight title
- Felix Alvarado vs. DeeJay Kriel for Alvarado's IBF Junior Flyweight title
- Franchon Crews-Dezurn vs. Ashleigh Curry; Women's Super Middleweight
- Raul Curiel vs. Ferdinand Kerobyan; Welterweight
- Blair Cobbs vs. Issouf Kinda; Welterweight
- Sean Garcia vs Asa Stevens; Bantamweight