“I want to fight Shakur really bad. I don’t like those people who think. You’re not the best. You don’t even show you are,” Garcia said while talking to David Benavidez in the gym. “It’s one thing to win a fight, and another thing to show that I’m like that. He’s out here saying, ‘Oh, I’m the best.’ You are not the best fighter. There are a lot of guys who are monsters. You are not a monster. He’s more like a puppy.”
The language was blunt, but the point was clear. Ryan draws a line between winning rounds and forcing yourself into a fight. In his opinion, Shakur’s style keeps fights in check but doesn’t create the kind of threat that supports a “best fighter” claim.
That distinction followed Shakur for a while. He’s captured titles across divisions and continues to win at a high level, but the reaction to those wins hasn’t always matched the results. Opponents are beaten, but the fights rarely leave the kind of mark that changes how people talk about him afterward.
Garcia steps right into that conversation. He’s not arguing that Shakur can’t win. He argues that the way he wins does not match the image that is being printed.
A fight between them would put pressure on that claim in a way Shakur hasn’t encountered recently. Ryan brings a different kind of threat. He is not there to box out for long periods. He forces exchanges and tries to change fights quickly, which will test whether Shakur can maintain control without giving ground.
There is also timing behind it. Garcia is coming off a period where his own status was questioned, and calling out Shakur allows him to position himself against a fighter protected by results but still debated in terms of presence.
Shakur has built a career on discipline, control and limiting risk inside the ring. That approach won him over, but it also left room for criticism like this to stick.
Ryan isn’t asking for a ranking or a belt. He asks for evidence. If Shakur is going to keep calling himself the best, this is the type of challenge that forces him to show it in a way that leaves no room for debate.
Stevenson’s recent win over Teofimo Lopez on January 31 was one-sided but dull, showing no instances of drama and little in the way of entertainment value. Shakur stood on the outside throwing jabs all night and retreated when he was attacked. It was a typical fight for him.
