On the night of December 2-3 in Houston, USA, a fight between Americans Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) and Oscar Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) will take place. An important match, both for the first and for the second athlete, despite the non-title status and in general, it would seem, a passable format.
A star versus a non-star boxer, a fight in which the winner will be neither champion nor contender for the title. But the confrontation is really important for both fighters.
Ryan will fight in a new weight and with a new trainer. Many tests in one place
For the first time in his career, Ryan Garcia lost in the spring of 2023. His confrontation against Gervonta Davis is strange for modern boxing. No one compares two superstars who earn millions for companies and for themselves like this – they took and made a fight. Usually they drag, wait until some side makes a mistake, stumbles somewhere, shows weakness. In even worse options, they make a confrontation when both are too old.
Fortunately, in 2023, we got to see Errol Spence and Terence Crawford fight at a time when both weren’t too old. To be completely honest and frank, you could even say that both Errol and Terence were in a physical and emotional state that is close to their peak. It definitely won’t get any better, but it wasn’t that good before to regret the lost opportunities.
The match between Jervonta and Garcia is different, but still well done and timely. A match between two under-30 superstars. Two knockouts, boxers who collect millions only from the audience on Instagram.
The problem was only in the conditions that Davis dictated and to which Ryan agreed. More precisely, the problem is not even in the conditions themselves. For example, Jervonta demanded that on the day of the fight they weighed no more than a certain weight. Not only Garcia, but both boxers. Both boxers also had to pass a rehydration test.
The problem here is that Ryan, as hard as he was, still remembered them afterwards. The fight went well. Garcia didn’t look bad, but he lost because he missed something he shouldn’t have. In the second round, he missed a heavy blow to the head, but stood up. In the seventh, it flew across the body, and Ryan could not stand the pain. After the loss, Garcia initially said there were no excuses, but as time went on, they did. He says that he was restricted too much, and without these restrictions he would be much better. And in general he says that he was not in the ring.
But those are matters of the past. After the match, Garcia went to a new coach. Now he works with Derrick James, who is the trainer of Anthony Joshua, Errol Spence and several other extremely famous boxers. He began to teach Garcia boxing – judging by the video. Where to hold your hand, how to keep it in place, how to counterattack. In general, it is not superfluous for anyone to add boxing to the school. And to Ryan with his problematic lowered arm – even more so.
And also changed to a new weight. Now Garcia is officially a first welterweight boxer. Where the champions are Teofimo Lopez, Regis Progress, and Devin Haney is also vying for the title. Competitive, interesting weight, complex. Literally tougher opponents, but with Ryan’s size, he won’t feel like a small guy here.
The meeting against Duarte may seem like a match against a new name. Because Oscar’s popularity is nowhere near Ryan’s. But in terms of boxing, this is definitely not the case. Fortunately, this is not an Instagram battle, so it will be interesting.
For Duarte, confrontation is also important. It’s not all on the line like it was with Ryan, but it’s still very important to win. The situation is such that Duarte has a golden chance. If he beats Garcia, he will get a monetary rematch and two or three more confrontations, for which they will pay more than usual. And in general, the boxer’s shares will immediately jump. For the sake of this, it is definitely worth trying and turning on one hundred percent.
Ryan also has a lot of questions to answer. More than Oscar. Everything is simple in Duarte. Won – soared to heaven. Lost means lost. The situation won’t get better, but it won’t get much worse either.
But Garcia has to answer whether he is a characterless boxer. Many fans accuse him of this. That he did not suffer, did not try to get up, make it to the break and give a fight. They have a point – they didn’t feel what Ryan felt, so they don’t know if there was anything there. And also to answer whether there is any sense in constantly changing coaches. Is he worth the new weight and does he have enough size here to stand up to bigger guys. It is still not lightweights to wear down, having an advantage in size.
Let’s not forget that sometimes Garcia knows how to dry up fights. And in such cases, the victory of the little-known Duarte will really not be needed by anyone.
But if you look stylistically? Oscar is a difficult opponent. In general, not just for Ryan. He is not much smaller than Garcia, but has shorter arms. At the same time, quite strong physically. This is its advantage. Duarte feels confident in the first welterweight, he is used to it and works great for strength in this category.
His element is medium and close range and that is where he cannot be allowed. Heavy side and uppercuts, combination work. She is not very smart, but extremely powerful. Oscar combines hard and hard. Even if the accuracy is lame somewhere, taking such hits on the block will definitely not be pleasant.
Ryan needs to be reminded of everything. About the jab, about the hard left side to meet, but without the lowered right hand. Even about working in the clinch. And it is better not just to remember, but also to improve it. Because here there will not be such precision and explosiveness as in the case of Gervonta, but the hardness is enough both for Garcia to suffer and for him to fall again.
It turns out, a risky confrontation. Ryan moves to a new weight and chooses an opponent not some mediocre face, which suits him stylistically. This is a really difficult opponent, to win over whom you have to really try, switch on and work.
For this, Garcia definitely deserves credit. There is too much hate on him just because he became popular through Instagram. The guy is really trying to show that he is not only a blogger who punches pears well and takes challenges, but also an athlete who can do something in the ring.
But whether he can and will cope with the moral and physical pressure – the confrontation against Oscar Duarte will definitely show.