Hamzah Sheeraz believes Ryan Garcia is a “different breed” of fighter, capable of defeating any opponent besides one of the sport’s leading pound-for-pound stars.
The 28-year-old delivered an emphatic second-round stoppage of Conor Benn over the weekend, retaining the WBC title he claimed by dethroning Mario Barrios in February.
Back then, Garcia scored a first-round knockdown but ultimately settled for a unanimous decision victory, sensing that Barrios was not quite there for the taking.
This time, though, the American floored his man early doors and managed to secure the finish, with referee Thomas Taylor intervening around 20 seconds after Benn climbed off the canvas.
While known more for his potent left hook, it was a right hand that did the damage on this occasion, with Garcia finding his target in a smooth, seamless manner.
The same punch had also dropped Barrios earlier this year, with Garcia proving that he is not just a one-trick pony and can actually select his shots with impressive dexterity.
In fact, WBO super-middleweight champion Sheeraz believes that this version of ‘King Ry’ is virtually untouchable, telling Fight Hub TV that he would only favour Shakur Stevenson to beat him.
“If anyone got caught by that shot [the right hand], they’re out. It’s Ryan Garcia at the end of the day – he’s a different breed.
“Ryan beats [Teofimo Lopez]. The only person to beat Ryan at the minute, in my opinion, is Shakur Stevenson.”
For this fight to materialise, Stevenson would need to move up from 140lbs while Garcia, who has just completed his third welterweight outing, may be expected to accommodate a catchweight of 144lbs.
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