Ryan Garcia is back. Not in the ring, just yet—that might take some time, perhaps. But he is back in what many fans deem his favorite arena, Twitter (X). The latest round is a dream cast. Besides Garcia, it has Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez playing the lead roles. Only this time, maybe, according to ‘KingRy’, ‘Bud’ Crawford gets to play the antagonist’s part. The on-and-off verbal duel between the three-star boxers has been on for some time. Things seem to have heated up around Crawford’s light middleweight debut.

The Nebraskan Southpaw defeated Israil Madrimov on August 3 at the Riyadh season card. In the lead-up to the fight, fans saw him share his thoughts on Ryan Garcia on Logan Paul‘s podcast. But the incident that has sparked a major discussion is the one involving Canelo Alvarez. The super middleweight king’s stance on the fight with ‘Bud’ Crawford has been drawing considerable traction, especially after His Excellency Turki Alalshikh weighed in on the much-anticipated clash.

Words over Fists: Ryan Garcia throws the gauntlet to Terence Crawford

Ryan Garcia called out Terence Crawford. He said that the light middleweight champion cannot compare himself with either him or Canelo Alvarez. Where the Mexican icon stands today, the Nebraskan can only dream of reaching those standards. He accepts Crawford’s outstanding sporting skills. But still, ‘Bud’ has yet to reach the stage where he can call himself equivalent to either him or Canelo Alvarez.

“You are a great, dedicated athlete, but you can’t compare to my self or Canelo,” said Garcia. Then, mocking Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia lambasted the former welterweight undisputed champion for the way he took advantage of everyone while at the same time not raking in any benefits. Finally, the challenge. ‘KingRy’ finally dared Terence Crawford to a confrontation to settle their differences.

Perhaps the trigger for Garcia’s latest response could have been Crawford’s reply to Canelo Alvarez. When asked about the chances of fighting ‘Bud’ Crawford, Alvarez seemed agreeable to the idea, provided ‘the numbers were right’. Otherwise, he considered it an ‘easy fight’ in his 168-pound weight class. During a conversation with Sean Zittel and Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter, sharing his thoughts on the matter, Terence Crawford questioned the Mexican superstar’s arguments.

From the shadows to the spotlight

Highlighting Alvarez’s concerns over the weight issue, Crawford pointed out how, in the past, the Mexican champion had faced reportedly smaller opponents, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Amir Khan. As for the financial aspect, he cited that perhaps, with the exception of the Mayweather fight, the chances of Alvarez having made a fortune from other prominent fights, including the one upcoming, remain very unlikely.

But despite that, Canelo Alvarez doesn’t seem willing to fight him, said Crawford. So calling out the super middleweight champion for why he isn’t willing to fight him if it was all about business, ‘Bud’ said, “I’m easy work. I heard him say I’m easy work. If I was easy work, would you know you would take all that money that he’s offering you? But yet, and still, he wants 200 million for Benavidez, and he wants 150 million to fight me.” Why? The Omaha-born champion believes it could be because, deep inside, Canelo Alvarez feels that he could pose a serious risk to his boxing legacy.

During a conversation with Logan Paul and Mike Majlak on their podcast ‘Impaulsive’, Terence Crawford shared what he felt about the issues surrounding Ryan Garcia. While he admitted to having no direct connection with the Californian, Crawford expressed his belief that Garcia’s friends and relatives should have intervened when they saw him heading in the wrong direction.

Needless to say, ‘KingRy’s latest outburst will for sure receive a lot of traction. The chances of a fight with Crawford remain the least likely. The champion may now proceed with claiming the undisputed championship in the new division.

Who would you prefer Ryan Garcia to fight once he returns?