Garcia might be the hottest property in the sport right now, having built a 21-0 professional ledger on the back of an exciting style which has brought 18 KOs.
The 22-year-old was last out at the very start of 2021 when he got off the floor to stop Britain’s Luke Campbell with a vicious body shot in the seventh round of a cracking scrap.
That performance proved to the doubters that Garcia has substance to go with his undoubted style. And next up he faces the vastly experienced Fortuna (36-2-1 with 25 wins inside distance). The bout will be streamed live in the UK and globally by DAZN.
At stake will be Garcia’s WBC interim lightweight title, and the fight is a stepping stone to some potentially massive fights in the future.
Stacked lightweight division
The lightweight division is stacked right now with Garcia fighting alongside Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko among others.
For now though, Garcia has his sights set only on Fortuna, explaining: “He is eager and will be ready, but so will I.
“No-one can beat me in the lightweight division, period. I’m going to show the world who I am.”
Garcia’s promoter - Golden Boy supremo Oscar De La Hoya - expects another show-stopping performance from his star protégé.
“Little by little, Ryan Garcia is silencing all of the sceptics,” said De La Hoya.
“And the only way to keep doing that is by continually facing tougher challenges. Javier Fortuna is an experienced southpaw who can be very slippery when he wants to avoid punches.
“It’s a dangerous fight for Ryan, but I expect him to show newer elements in his arsenal before ending matters by knockout.”
The 31-year-old Fortuna, ranked #2 by the WBC, sounded a warning shot to Garcia - who is likely to start a heavy favourite.
“Ryan Garcia should take this fight very seriously and train properly because he will be facing, by far, the best fighter of his career.
“Hopefully on fight night, there will be no excuses for his loss. I expect this fight to be a war while it lasts, but I have too much of everything for Ryan Garcia.
“His last fight showed how easy he is to hit. And his power won’t mean anything to me. But mine will put him to sleep.”
