Fight preview: Ryan Garcia vs. Javier Fortuna

Undefeated 23-year-old sensation Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) faces former world champion and veteran Javier Fortuna (37-3-1, 26KOs) on Saturday, July 16th at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles. The telecast on DAZN will begin at 8pm ET - the main event likely starting at 11pm ET. 

Many expect this fight to be a stepping stone for an eventual long-anticipated super-fight between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis (26-0, 24KOs). Davis knocked out Rolando Romero in the sixth round this May. 

However, former world champion Fortuna believes fans and media are underestimating him heading into the July 16th bout. Fortuna believes Garcia is overrated. 

Fortuna is confident that many will be surprised by his power and says Garcia’s speed will not be a factor. Garcia and Fortuna were supposed to fight each other on July 9th last year, but the fight was canceled due to Garcia suffering from mental health issues. Fortuna still fought on the scheduled fight date last year and lost to Joseph Diaz Jr. Nevertheless, Fortuna rebounded and scored a first-round knockout in his most recent fight. He’s looking forward to spoiling the highly-anticipated super-fight between Garcia and “Tank.” 

Garcia is making no secrets about his intentions to fight “Tank” later this year, as he has called out the undefeated KO artist several times on social media. Facing Fortuna is a great precursor to Garcia fighting Davis. Fortuna is a high-quality opponent with plenty of world championship experience. 

Fortuna fights with a pace and style similar to “Tank.” He’s tricky and possesses quality speed, defense, and power. Like “Tank,” Fortuna is also a southpaw. Facing a southpaw is never a walk in the park, and fighting Fortuna will be a great experience for Garcia before heading into this super-fight. 

It’s no secret Garcia wants to make a statement against Fortuna. He didn’t score the knockout he wanted to in his dominant victory over Emmanuel Tagoe earlier this year, and he will want to demonstrate that he is boxing’s most talented young star. 

Also, Garcia has revealed some bitterness after leaving former trainer Eddy Reynoso, who trains Canelo. Any fighter wants to show that he is an improved fighter with a new trainer. Garcia is now training under the well-respected coach Joe Goossen. Goossen prides himself on allowing his fighters to make the most of their power, and is extremely excited about coaching arguably the most gifted fighter in boxing right now. 

Few fighters have the combination of speed and power that Garcia possesses. He’s explosive. Notably, Garcia knocked out Luke Campbell, which is something both Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jorge Linares couldn’t do. 

On July 16th, Fortuna will be playing spoiler, hoping to prove to the world that Garcia is not the fighter he is hyped to be. On the other side, Garcia’s team will hope to inch closer to the much-anticipated fight against “Tank,” which would draw a huge audience and lots of pay-per-view revenue. 

Most likely, Garcia vs. Fortuna will allow fans and the media to gauge how Garcia is progressing under the tutelage of Goossen. Furthermore, this fight will likely showcase how Garcia will fare against “Tank” later this year. After the fight, look for Garcia to call out “Tank” to set up the mega bout. 

Everybody in boxing desperately wants to see Garcia vs. “Tank.” And the winner will set themselves up to face undefeated Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight crown.