Just when things appeared going downhill, Ryan Garcia waved the magic wand and voilà! he gets a shot at Mario Barrios’ welterweight championship. With archrival Devin Haney inching closer to a title in a third weight class, Garcia announced that he will step in against Barrios, on February 21 next year. Coming off a yearlong suspension, a disastrous comeback when Rolly Romero knocked him down to a humbling defeat, followed by a hand surgery, it was a recipe that spelled disaster.

Maybe Ryan Garcia has knack for wriggling himself out of a quandary of such a grand scale. However, now that he’s got his mojo back, Garcia felt an irresistible urge to assess matchups that have been doing rounds off late. Only that one such attempt boomeranged. Jake Paul wasn’t willing to let it slide when Garcia shared his two cents on his upcoming fight against Anthony Joshua.

Ryan Garcia and Jake Paul exchange a few rounds

As he usually does, Ryan Garcia dropped a random tweet. Like many he felt the fight between Paul and Joshua is likely to cave in. A matchup against a bona fide former heavyweight champion hardly makes any sense. “I seriously doubt this Jake vs. Anthony fight takes place. It’s too much of a disadvantage; it just doesn’t make sense. After the press conference, that’s apparent,” he wrote.

More often than Garcia’s tweets get an overwhelming response. But it appears he didn’t anticipate a sharp rejoinder from Jake Paul. Garcia’s upcoming title fight, especially considering he suffered a loss to Romero, and the past instances baffles boxing diehards.

So adding fuel to the fire, Paul commented, “What doesn’t make sense is you fighting for a WBC belt after coming off an a** whoopin by Rolly and 5 other things I could bring up. But hey, that’s no knock on you; you have big… Nagh, you ain’t have big nothing.”  It was apparent. Garcia’s criticism had touched a sensitive nerve. And he was quick enough to point it out, “My man is sensitive; your insecurity about this matchup is apparent. You can s**k a big one when I win this. AND NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🏆🏆 2-21-26.”

Reportedly, years ago, Paul and Garcia started off on a friendly. But as time passed, differences emerged.

AJ or Tank: Jake Paul’s shift confounds

Garcia did make it clear. He wasn’t trying to mock Jake Paul. It’s just that the matchup with Anthony Joshua appears plain absurd. “That’s not a knock on Jake. HUGE BA**S And I think he’s gotten much better, but it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

The size disparity was visible to see. With 6 feet and 6 inches height, Anthony Joshua wields a mammoth 82-inch reach. During the face off he literally stared down when Paul lifted his head to look into his eyes.

For sure, it’s a remarkable feat for Paul. For years he faced incessant criticism for fighting retired or semi-retired fighters and boxers. The lone loss he suffered in his five-year-old career came at the hands of a boxer – if you think like that – Tommy Fury. Still, many seem to prefer a fight against Joshua to the exhibition against a lightweight champion.

To that extent, Jake Paul sounded the bugle call at the kick off presser. “I want him to cut me up; I want him to break my face, but guess what, he’s gonna have to kill me to stop me, and I’m ready to die.”

What the fight would potentially do to Anthony Joshua’s legacy forms a different set of narrative.

Do you agree with Ryan Garcia’s take on the Paul-AJ fight?