“You know who I want. He’s right there. Shakur Stevenson. Let’s go. Let’s run that,” Garcia said in the ring.
Stevenson had appeared earlier on the broadcast and claimed he was “levels above” Garcia. When that was relayed to him, Garcia didn’t hesitate.
“The thing is like you got to have some type of punching power to get me off you cuz it’ll be a different style and I’m not going to hit him light,” Garcia said. “Every time I get — boom — I’m put it on him. You know I want that fight. Shakur, let’s get it.”
Garcia also pushed back on the idea that he relies only on his left hook. He dropped Barrios in the first round with a right hand and said that punch was a major factor in the win.
“It wasn’t just a left hook. Y’all were saying left hook the whole time. I see my right hand working tonight,” he said.
Even in victory, Garcia admitted he wanted more from himself.
“I should have got the knockout to be honest. I got to grade myself on that,” he said.
The Barrios fight gave Garcia his first full world title, but his attention has already shifted. By calling out Stevenson immediately, Garcia made clear that he sees a high-skill fight as the next step rather than a routine defense. Whether the matchup comes together will depend on negotiations, but Garcia publicly set the direction before leaving the ring.
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