Ryan Garcia has revealed exactly how much he was offered to step in and face Jake Paul next month.
It has now been revealed that the 27-year-old from California was one of the fighters that Paul had shortlisted for a bout on December 19, after his planned exhibition clash with Gervonta Davis was scrapped.
Paul actually opted to face two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua instead, with the eight round heavyweight clash set to take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami in just three weeks.
‘The Problem Child’ revealed that he had made offers to Garcia as well as three-weight undisputed world champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, before ultimately settling for the fight with Joshua.
In an interview with Covers, Garcia revealed that he was made an offer of around $20 million to fight Paul on December 19, but admitted that he turned the offer down to pursue a world title shot against Mario Barrios.
“I didn’t take the Jake Paul fight because I had the Barrios fight lined up, so I showed you. I had $20 million offered. I went with Barrios for less, so that’s to show you right now, And that’s a stupid matchup [for me]. He’s 220 pounds, for damn’s sake.
“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.
“If it makes sense [in the future I’ll consider a Jake Paul fight]. But as of right now, that’s kind of just in the back of my mind. I’ve already denied the $20 million, so it’s always gonna be there, right? If he keeps going, it’s always gonna be there. You never know. But as of right now, I think that my opportunities in boxing just serve me better.”
Garcia is said to be in the final stages of negotiations for a showdown with reigning WBC world welterweight champion Barrios, with an official announcement expected to be made in the coming weeks.
