Ryan García vs. Luke Campbell - 2 January 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Don't know why but I seem shocked by that and always thought high profile fighters made big money and it makes you wonder after all the various expenses and percentages that others take what he would have got bottom line .

It's like Bellew.. The most he made in a prior to the Haye paydays was getting just under £1m against Clev.. That fight probably made a loss. He got £80k against Masternak, which was just before he fought Makabu. He made 6 figures against Makabu..

Nowhere near 1M against Clev.

That's what I thought.. It wasn't even a world title fight for them to command huge purses.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Luke Campbell Dismisses Ryan Garcia's Training Clips: It All Looks Good on Video

Olympic gold medal winner Luke Campbell is not concerned for a moment with the popular training video clips that are being posted by his upcoming opponent, Ryan Garcia, who has a huge following on social media.

Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs), 33-years-old, has dropped competitive decisions in his two most high profile fights - world title challenges against Jorge Linares (2017) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (2019).

Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs), 22-years-old, is a rising star in the sport and many experts view the upcoming contest as a true test of his worth in the ring.

"I don't know a lot about him except that he's got a huge profile on social media, a hell of a lot of followers," Campbell told ESPN. "When you have that amount of followers, you have to keep them interested with stuff, videos. For me, I prefer to just live my life. I've not followed his career. I've had no reason to.

"It all looks good on video, but there's plenty of kids out there who can hit the pads quickly -- but not look good in the ring. You can throw 1,000 uppercuts in 5 seconds on the pads. But it's not real. There's no one in front of you trying to take your head [off], just someone holding the pads."

Their fight, which is being carried on DAZN, is taking place on January 2nd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The winner will walk away with the WBC's interim-lightweight title - earning a shot at the full world champion Devin Haney.

"It's a great opportunity for the winner," Campbell said. "I feel like I'm coming into my prime and I've not hit my peak yet or shown what I'm capable of. It's taken me longer than other people to adjust into the pro game, to find my feet. I feel as if I'm just getting there.

"I want to be a world champion. I'm probably about 70 percent more well known than other world champions out there, and that's something I've also wanted to achieve -- to be well known by boxing fans for fighting at world-class level."

[maverick23]

The main event of the show is being planned for 11pm U.K. time.

Strange decision as Garcia is much bigger in the US than Campbell is in the U.K.

Perhaps DAZN have had surprisingly big subscriber volumes in Europe over the last few weeks so want to continue to push for that.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The main event of the show is being planned for 11pm U.K. time.

Strange decision as Garcia is much bigger in the US than Campbell is in the U.K.

Perhaps DAZN have had surprisingly big subscriber volumes in Europe over the last few weeks so want to continue to push for that.

That'll be 6pm in New York, not that bad is it?

will be 2-3 hours earlier in CT and PT though.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Garcia has said beating Campbell is better than beating Loma..

[maverick23]

The main event of the show is being planned for 11pm U.K. time.

Strange decision as Garcia is much bigger in the US than Campbell is in the U.K.

Perhaps DAZN have had surprisingly big subscriber volumes in Europe over the last few weeks so want to continue to push for that.

That'll be 6pm in New York, not that bad is it?

will be 2-3 hours earlier in CT and PT though.

It’s not that bad but most of his fanbase is West Coast. Of course they can still watch it as it’ll be the middle of the afternoon but, traditionally, when shows have been earlier in the day they don’t rate as well.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The main event of the show is being planned for 11pm U.K. time.

Strange decision as Garcia is much bigger in the US than Campbell is in the U.K.

Perhaps DAZN have had surprisingly big subscriber volumes in Europe over the last few weeks so want to continue to push for that.

That'll be 6pm in New York, not that bad is it?

will be 2-3 hours earlier in CT and PT though.

It’s not that bad but most of his fanbase is West Coast. Of course they can still watch it as it’ll be the middle of the afternoon but, traditionally, when shows have been earlier in the day they don’t rate as well.

It's on DAZN anyway.. can always catch highlights or wach the full fight later.

[rd350lc]

Good news it's on at sensible 'o' clock .

[Coco]

Ive read that while Macklin thinks Garcia will be one of the next global superstars he is still picking Campbell to beat him.

[jameswilson]

Garcia has said beating Campbell is better than beating Loma..

Similar to promoter talk really tho isn't it. Even when boxers are fighting scrubs they use the 'he's tough he;s game he will come to win' line.

[KiwiRider]

Garcia has said beating Campbell is better than beating Loma..

So cringeworthy
Campbell isn't a pushover either. Garcia is going to look like the orange guy who lost to the sleepy bloke if he loses this one

[garethhop]

I really fancy Luke in this if he can frustrate Garcia, make him work hard, and make it 12 hard rounds.

I think Campbell gets dropped at some point, but if he can match his Lomachenko performance, he makes it dead close on the scorecards.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[handsofstone]

Ive thought since his last couple fights Garcia is probably better than most give him credit, no way he's the new Oscar but still looks exciting, nobody has iced Fonseca the way he did so he's already surpassed most expectations, Campbell always competes well at world level and usually looks good just below, Garcia is below world level but is raw and will probably be more explosive than the likes of Lomachenko and Linares who are more measured

Big step up for Garcia here and i think Campbell will take him to school, might stop him

[brilo33]

well this is the fight for ryan. to see if he sinks or swims, every fighter has to make that step up, i think garcia has a lot , a real sharp jab , he will be bigger than luke ,moves well he can throw punches with either hand has power he , lukes is quite robotic in the sense you know what he is going to do, i think garcai will stop luke, as campbell has been in some wars now

[TheLeprechaun]

Garcia doesn't have the best of jabs or distance control. Campbell fights negative fights at the highest level though. He will need to be whipping in the left hand regularly and take the fight to Garcia to win. Garcia has fast hands and puts punches together nicely. Campbell will be hard to find if he fights his negative fight and Garcia will win on points in that case but if Campbell comes in here to take the center of the ring, throw hard counter punches and be the man who controls the distance and tempo of the fight, he can win this. He has to be the boss in there and meet Garcia with sharp left hands because Garcia is young enough to think he can just assert himself on Campbell and boss the fight. Campbell needs to start giving him the fright of his life early and let him know he is in with the best fighter he's been in with. I see a route for Campbell to win because Garcia doesn't set up his attacks very well and Campbell is the more mobile of the two. His left hook looks to be a very concussive punch if it lands cleanly. Fonseca went out like a light. We might have a huge puncher here in Garcia. In that case, it might be Campbell who gets the fright of his life and fights an even more negative fight than usual.

[SticknMove]

Garcia points convincingly.

[MightyWarrior]

I like Luke, but think I’d like to see the young gun win this - because with his fan base and knock em flat style, he can really light up the fight game - which obv we always need.

He’s definitely in tough here, as Luke can take him deep, but I’m leaning towards the American on points I think, he looks like he might have the X factor. I think he’ll drop Luke on the way too.

The UK friendly start time is a first as far as I can remember, I don’t think that’s ever happened before

[Glass Joe]

I like Luke, but think I’d like to see the young gun win this - because with his fan base and knock em flat style, he can really light up the fight game - which obv we always need.

He’s definitely in tough here, as Luke can take him deep, but I’m leaning towards the American on points I think, he looks like he might have the X factor. I think he’ll drop Luke on the way too.

The UK friendly start time is a first as far as I can remember, I don’t think that’s ever happened before

Pretty sure Tyson - Cunningham was an evening fight over here

[gregregegg]

Didnt even really think of this till now, but i wonder how Garcia is against southpaws? this is a pretty big step up in any sense, but a massive southpaw step up seeing as from what i can see as a pro he has fought 1 southpaw, Noe Martinez Raygoza, who made it nearly 8 rounds with garcia which is pretty good for a guy outside the top 500... (he has fought 2 or 3 guys with no stance listed but they are very very low quality)..

[Ruthless-RKO]

BLH: Garcia vs Campbell predictions

Scott Christ
Someone’s gonna look stupid Saturday. It’s either me or a bunch of you. I accept that. Garcia in 4. Garcia KO-4

Wil Esco
Let’s get the new year started off right! I stood by while Scott continually blasphemed good ol’ Luke Campbell by predicting Garcia to KO him in FOUR rounds for most of 2020. I mean lord have mercy, if Garcia gets Campbell (by far the best opponent he’s ever faced) out of there in four rounds, I’ll fuckin’ vinyl wrap my car ‘KingRy’. I know Garcia has the makings of a true star in this sport because of his ability to attract attention but he’s also been very carefully handled to this point, which I wouldn’t mind so much if he wasn’t talking big shit all the time.

I personally wouldn’t mind seeing this guy get his ass handed to him in the ring, so it sort of pains me to see that he’s aligned himself with one of the best trainers in the sport in Eddy Reynoso and is making solid improvements because of it. I’ve still yet to see any real body punching from Garcia, and to me that remains the glaringly biggest hole in his game. As his competition gets better, he’s not going to just be able to skate on fast hands which go headhunting. This is a considerable step up so far as I can tell, as Campbell is much more well-rounded and experienced. I’m praying he’ll use that to deal me some satisfaction. Campbell UD-12

Patrick L. Stumberg

Despite a persona seemingly custom-made to engender antipathy, Garcia’s talent is legitimate. His speed and power are eye-catching in the extreme, and they’ve thus far proven magnificently effective against those who find themselves in the firing line. What’s missing at the moment is footwork; while he demonstrated far better movement against Romero Duno and Francisco Fonseca than he did against prior foe Jose Lopez, particularly when it came to getting pivoting away from pressure, he’s still worryingly flat-footed.

That’s what makes this fight so interesting. Campbell’s legs carried him past the pressure of Yvan Mendy in their rematch, and though the Frenchman can’t hope to compare to Garcia’s firepower, he’s a lot more dogged in his pursuit. Garcia will find it profoundly difficult to keep Campbell where he wants him, and we’ve yet to see him have to really press that issue against quality opposition.

Whether it’s legitimate analysis, a personal distaste for Garcia seeping in, or something else, I like Campbell here. He survives a few rough rounds to take over down the stretch, dancing circles around and potshotting an increasingly frustrated Garcia for the win. Campbell UD-12

Lewis Watson

If you’re to believe the bookies on this one, they are giving Campbell around a 25% chance of winning this fight. As much as I concede that Garcia is the slight favourite on Saturday, Luke’s experience and pedigree can’t be slept on. Timing is everything inside and outside of the ring in boxing, and GBP believe the time is now for a Garcia step-up. His lightning hands and left hook inside the ropes are where he can trouble Campbell, but the seasoned southpaw has experience in world title fights, Olympic finals and clambering to his feet numerous times having suffered a knockdown. If Garcia is to put Campbell down, he’s going to have to keep him down. The Brit is hungrier than ever for this one and will be fearful, at 33, and with three losses on his record, that another big chance as a pro may not come knocking.

Garcia is talented. But he’s also hyped and untested. A loss to Campbell wouldn’t be the end of the world for “King Ry” and without that ‘all or nothing’ mentality he may come unstuck if nudged into deeper waters. Let’s start 2021 with a bang and shoot for Luke, late. ENG-GER-LANDDDD!! etc., etc. Campbell TKO-11

And the staff winner is...

Luke Campbell (3-1)!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Live weigh in

2pm ET | 7pm UK

[Ruthless-RKO]

Seen as this will be at a sensible time in the UK, do you wanna keep the RBR on this thread? Or would it better to start a fresh one?

[Jimmy2020]

Here. No need for another topic. I'll have it on DAZN and may contribute.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Here. No need for another topic. I'll have it on DAZN and may contribute.

No worries. Coverage begins at 8pm UK time. Which will be 2pm Dallas time..