Danny Jacobs wants Ryan Garcia to take a “step back” with his career by facing “lower competition” to rebuild his confidence after his loss to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero last May. Jacobs believes the year suspension took something out of Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) mentally and physically.
Garcia’s Confidence: Lower Competition
In hindsight, coming back against the big puncher Romero was a foolish thing for Ryan to do, because he’s not that great of a talent to take on a fighter like that coming off a 13-month layoff. In Ryan’s wins over the last few years, he’d looked shaky at times against Devin Haney, Oscar Duarte, and Luke Campbell.
“He’s coming back after a suspension and then a loss [to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero]. His team has got him to this point. I’m sure they’ll figure out what’s best,” said Daniel Jacobs to Fight Hub TV about what Ryan Garcia should do next following his loss to Rolly Romero.
Ryan’s team is likely going to want to keep him making good money and will resist the idea of fighting unknowns once again. Look, Devin Haney. He’s chosen to jump into the deep end against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. in November, and he looked far worse than Garcia in his fight on May 2nd at Times Square Garden in New York City. If Devin is still willing to take risky fights after an awful performance, Ryan can too.
Confidence Rebuild: Jacobs’ Take
“If I were managing him, I’d probably say, ‘Let’s take a step back. Lower competition, a fight that can boost your confidence, because who knows, mentally or physically, what the [year-long] break has done to him?”
As bad as Ryan Garcia looked against Rolly, lowering the competition may not work. He has already lowered the competition and failed miserably in his loss to Romero. If Kingry lowers it again and loses, it could permanently wreck what’s left of his self-confidence. Also, what good is it for Garcia to fight a tomato can if it does nothing to boost his self-belief?
“So, give him a time to filter out the cobwebs because there’s nothing like being in the actual ring and in an actual fight. Get a good solid win or two and then come back to calling out the big names,” said Jacobs.
For Ryan to continue to enjoy the big paydays he’s been receiving in his last few fights, he’d have to fight someone solid. He’s not going to get $10 million from Turki Alalshikh to fight a scrub. He’s going to want value for the money he pays him, especially after the poor performances turned in by his three A-side fighters on his Times Square card last May.
Potential Opponents for Garcia
If Garcia follows Jacobs’ advice of taking a “step back,” he should focus on fighting one of these fighters:
– Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz
– Karen Chukhadzhian
– Raul Curiel
– Rohan Polanco
Last Updated on 07/03/2025
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