Ryan Garcia wants to dodge the web of boxing promoters, managers and broadcasters and bring big fights back into the mainstream.
(Bloomberg) — Ryan Garcia wants to dodge the web of boxing promoters, managers and broadcasters and bring big fights back into the mainstream.
“It’s called greed,” the 24-year-old Garcia said in an interview. “They all wanna make the most money, but they don’t understand they’re hurting the sport in the long run. Then you make no money.”
Boxing, once a dominant cultural touchstone, has been overshadowed in popularity by mixed martial arts leagues led by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. recently agreed to combine with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. to create a $21-billion “sports and entertainment powerhouse.”
Garcia will fight Gervonta “Tank” Davis Saturday night in Las Vegas on Saturday. The bout at T-Mobile Arena sold out $20 million worth of tickets and is being broadcast via Showtime and DAZN, the sports streaming network.
The total paycheck for each fighter will be in the tens of millions of dollars, depending on how many fans pay to view the fight. But Garcia and Davis also embody a new generation of fighters who’ve married in-the-ring credentials with massive social media followings.
The 28-year-old Davis has 4.7 million followers on Instagram, and Garcia has 9.6 million. The latter also has 5 million followers on TikTok. That’s given the boasting and trash-talking once limited to press conferences a constant, viral presence.
“I know the people want it, and I want to give it to them,” said Garcia. “And now you see the culture getting behind it. Now it’s the whole culture’s gonna watch the fight.”
Unlike boxing’s web of conflicts, the UFC has created a system that tightly controls its own global ecosystem of fighters and fights, leading to popularity and a soaring valuation.
“You see UFC more of the limelight then boxing because they get the fights that the people want, and people are excited to follow the fighters because they know what fights are coming up,” Garcia said. “Guys like me and some other younger fighters, I think they’re more willing to risk it.”
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.