“You know who I want. He’s right there. Shakur Stevenson. Let’s go. Let’s run that s***,” Garcia said on DAZN. “I want to be a great champion and I’m not afraid of s***. I fought Devin Haney. I’ll fight Shakur Stevenson. I’ll fight anybody. Let’s go f******.”
Garcia doubled down when he said Stevenson said he was levels above.
“The thing is you’ve got to have punch to get me off you because I’m not going to hit him lightly. I want that fight. Shakur let’s get it.”
Stevenson nodded as the call echoed through T-Mobile Arena. Then he spoke.
“Was VADA involved in this fight? I saw him with Rolly he didn’t look like that. If he fights me next I’m all for the challenge but VADA will be involved,” Stevenson said.
He also addressed weight.
“We’ll meet in the middle (144lbs). Two big stars, we don’t need a belt for the fight. I think it’s a great fight to make. I’m in this for big fights. Me and Ryan will be an even bigger fight and will be a tremendous fight.”
Then he clarified the test issue.
“I want to fight him and he wants to fight me so it should be easy to finish. We just have to make sure he’s on VADA and there’s no cheating involved.”
Garcia thrives when exchanges open up and he can throw combinations with his left hook leading the way. Against Stevenson, that space narrows. The battle is about ring positioning, shot selection and who sets the pace early.
Terence Crawford also weighed in earlier, Stevenson supports and says he doesn’t see Garcia landing clean like he did against Barrios.
At 144 pounds with year-round testing, it turns from a call into a real bargain. Technically, Stevenson’s control gives him the edge over twelve rounds, unless Garcia forces exchanges and makes it physical from the start.
