During a recent late-night visit to Jimmy Fallon, boxer Ryan Garcia threatened knockouts against some of boxing’s biggest names. The WBC welterweight champion made waves promoting his September 12 fight against Conor Benn in Las Vegas, and honestly? His confidence was unmatched.
We love to see an Ryan Garcia moment like this. During the interview, Fallon put Garcia through a rapid-fire round of hypothetical matchups, and he didn’t hesitate when it came to Jake Paul.
“Oh, I for sure could beat this guy,” Garcia said confidently. “100%, yeah. I’ll break his new jaw.” Paul’s jaw was recently fractured during a bout in December with British boxer Anthony Joshua. The crowd ate it up—there’s something refreshing about an athlete with that kind of unshakeable belief in themselves.
Back in the studio, the crowd reacted loudly as Garcia continued discussing Benn later in the interview. “I’m gonna really put a whooping on this man,” Garcia told Fallon. “We will send him back to the UK sippin’ on some tea.” That’s the kind of Olympic athlete memoir energy we need—bold, focused, ready to make history.
Garcia also weighed in on a fantasy matchup against Floyd Mayweather Jr., joking that the undefeated former champion would spend most of the fight moving around the ring. “He’ll just be circling around the ring, running a little too much,” Garcia continued before adding, “We still will knock him out, though.” It’s clear Garcia sees himself at the top of boxing’s legacy.
While Garcia joked about knocking out nearly everyone mentioned during the segment, he showed genuine admiration for Manny Pacquiao and called the boxing icon one of the athletes he looked up to growing up. That kind of respect? That’s Black excellence in action—honoring those who came before while building your own freedom struggle in the ring.
★m★
