Ryan Garcia doesn’t hesitate to admit the last year of his life was one of the darkest stretches he’s ever experienced.
What began as physical frustration spiraled into emotional upheaval – a period he now calls “insane” and one he says he barely remembers clearly. And while he's in a much better place today – signified by him reportedly signing on to fight Mario Barrios – the scars of his deeply personal battle still linger.
In a candid sit-down with Covers, Garcia revisits the bacterial infection that ruined his Times Square night, the mental crash that led to broken rooms and a stay in a mental health institute, and the daily discipline that finally rebuilt him. He also dives into the matchups that motivate him – from rejecting $20 million to fight Jake Paul to believing he can knock out Terence Crawford, to explaining why facing Conor Benn in a UK stadium is high on his wish list.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- On turning down $20 million to fight Jake Paul: "I would definitely consider it" for $70 million
- Garcia believes Jake will "find a way out" of Dec. 19 fight with Joshua "as doubt creeps in"
- Garcia: "I can knock out Terence Crawford," suggests that Canelo "fights in one gear"
- Amid mental, physical struggles, Garcia admits that he probably shouldn't have fought Rolando Romero
- Garcia says beating Conor Benn would bring great joy, "almost more than a championship title"
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Show me (a lot more) money
Garcia (24-2-1, 20 KOs) is the former WBC interim lightweight champion but has seen his life and career turned upside down over the previous 19 months, first serving a one-year suspension and $1.1 million fine for using a performance-enhancing substance in April 2024 and then struggling with physical and mental ailments en route to a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Rolando Romero in his return to action last May.
For some in that situation, were a potential $20 million payday to come knocking, the response would be a swift and decisive "yes". But Garcia's career aspirations remain high – and he was direct when asked what an eight-figure fight with Jake Paul would mean to him.
"I had $20 million offered," he told Covers. "I went with Barrios for less, so that's to show you right now, I'm not even worried about that right now. And that's a stupid matchup (for me). He's 220 pounds. What are we talking about? I'm not going to let this dude think he's that good because he's a heavyweight and trying to fight 135-pounders.
"People are not going to think I'm good unless I knock him out. How am I going to knock out a 220-pound dude that somewhat knows how to box? Yeah, I could catch them, but they're trying to fight with 12-ounce gloves. I'm trying to fight with 8-ounce. Let me have 8-ounce. You could have 12-ounce. That's fair. You got the weight, I get the four ounces in gloves."
And what would it take for Garcia, who's listed at between 175 and 180 pounds, to change his mind? How about $70 million, the figure reportedly offered to Anthony Joshua for his scheduled Dec. 19 Netflix bout with Paul?
"I definitely would consider it," Garcia admitted. "100%. I'd be stupid if I didn't. It’s insane (that they offered AJ $70 million and Garcia $20 million), that was the first offer. I wasn't gonna accept that. But who knows? Maybe I would still deny the $70 million."
Garcia doubts Paul will follow through
Even with the eight-round Paul-Joshua tilt (set for Netflix) expected to be a gigantic payday for both fighters, Garcia isn't so sure Paul will go through with it. The YouTuber-turned-pugilist is giving up four inches and 20 pounds to Joshua, a former world heavyweight champion returning from a long injury layoff.
"I said on Twitter that it wouldn't happen, or I'd say it's very unlikely," he told Covers. "I think the closer to the fight, when that doubt comes creeping in, Jake might find a way out. That's how I see it. Possibly. But I'll believe it when they're in the ring because this seems too surreal."
He has an even bleaker view of Paul if the 28-year-old does decide to get in the ring.
"Never fight a dude that tall," Garcia said. "He thinks that he's gonna somehow hide the right hand (and connect). How are you gonna hide the right hand? He can't hide the right hand. (Joshua's gonna see it, block it, maneuver around it. It's not that you're tricky, it's not that you have a trick up your sleeve.
"You can't intimidate him, you're not bigger than him, you're not gonna push him around, you're gonna get beat up."
Garcia went so far as to suggest that Paul has virtually no chance of winning.
"I would (figuratively bet) $300 million on Anthony Joshua's win, and I would (actually bet) $100K. That's how confident I am.
"I think Anthony's gonna take it like a real fight. Maybe he just feels him out the first round, and then knocks him out the second round. Or he just catches him straight away. I don't see it going past three."
While Garcia questions the validity of adding Paul to his own fight resume, he understands, at least in part, why Joshua took up the challenge.
"It won’t affect (Joshua's) legacy because it's Jake Paul. People have such a disgust for him. I don't think it affects it, it might make him ten times more popular in the U.S. 100% it would. It's the best move for AJ. It's a win-win situation. You make all this money, and you're not gonna get that, shunned down for knocking out Jake Paul, because it's Jake Paul."
Garcia talks tough on Crawford, Canelo
While Paul-Joshua will wrap up an eventful 2025 boxing calendar, the 2026 docket might see an even bigger bout. Rumors persist that Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez will run it back for Crawford's super middleweight title, won via a unanimous decision over Alvarez last Sept. 13.
Regardless of what the future holds for both fighters, Garcia says he would love to meet Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) – and believes he would knock him flat.
"That's one of my dream fights," he told Covers. "I would love to fight Crawford. I feel I got the style to knock him out. I'm not kidding. I think he's never fought a super explosive guy, not that I know of. I can't think of one. The last explosive guy he fought was (Yuriorkis) Gamboa, and he was kind of already on a downwards trajectory. But a snappy and ferocious fighter, who has he fought?
He's been fighting kind of slow, thudding type of dudes right now, and Mean Machine (Egidijus Kavaliauskas) was a little bit of explosive. Anybody who's explosive catches Crawford, catches him off his toes, and I think that if I'm at my top level, I think I could do really well and catch him."
As for Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), Garcia believes he's too one-dimensional to regain his title.
"Love Canelo, I've trained with him for years, but he fights with the same gear," Garcia said. "It's always kind of slow, back and forth, blocking, trying to throw overhands, I don't think he's as creative as me when it comes to trying to figure out how to put a guy in a bad position."
He went on to suggest that Alvarez might want to consider retirement.
"Why not? Made all the money. Did everything he could possibly do, undisputed. What's the point of fighting? I don't see it, but hey, if you love the sport and want to keep going, do it."
The wrong time for Rolly?
It has been a long road back for Garcia, considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the U.S. before controversy and self-destruction left him wondering if he would ever return to the ring. He struggled in the wake of his suspension, to the point where he ended up being arrested.
"I went to jail," he told Covers. "I broke everything in a hotel room. I had to stay three days in a mental health institute. I did a lot. I broke everything in my house. For me to be here right now is crazy."
He admits that he might have returned to action too soon, and that the lingering effects of his struggles played a role in the challenges he faced while training for the Romero bout. He told Covers he could only train twice a week, due in part to a bacterial gut infection that sapped his energy significantly.
"I can't quite tell you exactly what it was," he said. "I couldn't get going. I couldn't spar, I couldn't do anything, I was just very weak, and it was a recipe for disaster.
"I would say it was probably from the whole year of just abuse after the (Devin) Haney fight (after which he was suspended). It was just drinking every day, not giving a f***. I was very angry, very angry at the world. Very angry at everyone, very angry at the people around me, and angry at the fans, angry at the boxing commission, everybody. I was pissed off, I felt I was wronged. I felt that nobody was hearing my side, and I felt cheated."
So what changed?
"I fixed my gut health," he said. "I think that was a big part of it, too. My gut started getting better, and inflammation started going down, and I kept going to the gym. I guess those three things just kind of formed. I just kind of restored my body into where I could train every day. I could train multiple times.
"Now I go to the gym, I play pickleball, I box, I go walking, I finally feel like myself."
Garcia ready for Benn: "I don't think he's that good"
While Garcia has Barrios – and his WBC welterweight title – squarely in his sights, the outspoken 27-year-old is already looking ahead to a potential showdown with Conor Benn, another marquee fighter in his weight range. And Garcia would be more than willing to travel for this one.
"I would definitely be willing to go to the UK to fight him," Garcia said of the Greenwich, England native. "He seems like a fun matchup. He's gonna come crazy and throw bombs all night, and thinks he's gonna overwhelm me, but he won't, but I would love to fight him."
Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision rematch victory over Chris Eubank Jr. on Nov. 15, but that doesn't impress Garcia that much.
"I don't think he's at the level he thinks he's at, I'll tell you that," Garcia told Covers. "I don't think that Eubank had enough skills, or felt good enough. I just think Conor is young, and I think he's hungry, and I think he fights that way, but I don't think he's that good, if that makes sense."
Garcia admitted he has a little extra motivation for wanting to beat Benn – and it has to do with his feelings toward a certain notable promoter.
"I love fighting Eddie Hearn fighters, I don't know why, I just love to beat them up, he just makes you want to beat his fighters up," Garcia said. "It's just the way he talks, the way he moves, I can't wait to look at his face and say, 'I did it again.' I beat Luke Campbell, Devin Haney, he was representing him, I beat him. I'm ready to beat up Conor now.
"That would bring so much joy to me, almost more than a championship title. I would be ecstatic just to see Eddie's face, sad and confused."
