Garcia made the claim while speaking on a podcast, pointing to his past performances against top opponents.
“I’ve beaten a slick fighter already, Devin Haney, who is longer, stronger, and faster than Shakur,” Ryan said to Creators Think Podcast.
“Shakur’s better defensively, but he’s never faced a guy as fast and with timing like myself. It wouldn’t be a hard fight.”
Ryan Garcia has the physical tools in this matchup, but Shakur Stevenson has the system. To beat Shakur, a fighter needs to be able to reset his “computer,” and so far, nobody has found the “Alt+Delete” key for Shakur’s brain.
Moving up to 147 has filled Ryan out. He’s now the naturally larger man. In a clinch or a phone-booth trade, Ryan’s physical strength at welterweight might bully a Shakur who is still acclimating to the higher weights.
Shakur became a four-weight world champion in January after defeating Teofimo Lopez for the WBO super-lightweight title in New York. The unbeaten American has previously held titles at featherweight, super-featherweight, and lightweight.
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) won the WBC welterweight title with a victory over Mario Barrios in February and has been linked to a potential fight with Stevenson in recent weeks.
While Ryan talks up a fight with Shakur, his actions suggest a different path. Negotiations for a Stevenson-Garcia bout at 140 pounds recently stalled over a rehydration clause dispute. Instead, Ryan has pivoted toward a potential July 2026 date with Teofimo Lopez, the very man Stevenson just dismantled last January.
Shakur (25-0, 11 KOs) is the king of “hitting and not getting hit.” He fights at a range that makes Ryan’s left hook, his most dangerous weapon, almost impossible to land cleanly.
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