Ryan Garcia is all set to defend his WBC welterweight championship against challenger Conor Benn on September 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in one of the biggest boxing spectacles of the year. However, before ‘King Ryan’ steps back into the ring, he isn’t backing down from delivering unfiltered shots at his rivals.

The 28-year-old appeared on NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, where he unleashed a callout toward Terence Crawford, Shakur Stevenson, and other fighters, leaving Sharpe seemingly stunned.

“Like I said, you, Shakur, all you guys, goofies,” Garcia said. “The Goofy Avengers, yeah. The Goofy Avengers: Claressa, Shakur, Terence Crawford. Oh Lord, what you got me with Claressa for? They’re the Goofy Avengers. They’re just the Goofy Avengers. I’m sorry, bro.”

Garcia currently has an ongoing feud with every fighter he mentioned on the retired NFL star’s podcast. Before booking his showdown with Conor Benn, the Californian called out Shakur Stevenson for a fight immediately after he defeated Mario Barrios to become WBC champion in February. Plus, his animosity toward Claressa Shields dates back to when the boxing star called him a “d—g cheat” after Garcia tested positive for Ostarine following his fight with Devin Haney.

Perhaps aware of that history, Sharpe didn’t press Garcia too much about his beef with Stevenson and Shields. However, the former NFL player couldn’t quite understand what sparked Garcia’s hostility toward Crawford, prompting ‘King Ryan’ to explain his stance.

“I think he’s just a hater on me for some reason, bro,” Garcia said. “He just hates on me. And I’m not saying that I don’t respect his greatness. I do. I respect what he’s done. I just call it how I see it. You left the game too early. You don’t really rumble with nobody that was hot and ready to go like you are.”

To be fair, Garcia has long believed Crawford walked away from boxing too early after defeating Canelo Alvarez last year. In the podcast, he has also downplayed ‘Bud’s’ victory by arguing that the Mexican’s style favored Crawford. But that’s not all. Garcia also claimed that Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis would comfortably defeat him. Yet, that’s not the extent of their animosity.  

Crawford has consistently been critical of Garcia’s abilities and has also questioned the 28-year-old’s chances against Stevenson. Because of that skepticism, the Californian believes the former undisputed champion is simply a doubter and a “hater.” With their rivalry at the tipping point, Garcia isn’t shying away from challenging Crawford to a showdown at 154 pounds. 

“I would love to,” Garcia added in the same interview. “I always said that. No, I want to smoke with that. 154. I’ll go to 154. I wouldn’t go to 160, but I’ll go to 154.”

Even before this callout, Garcia said in March that Crawford doesn’t want to face a “hungry” fighter like him. Despite the potential for a lucrative matchup, the Omaha native has already clarified that he won’t return to boxing for Garcia or anyone else, even if the opportunity involved a superstar such as Floyd Mayweather.

Still, Ryan Garcia remains convinced that he and Terence Crawford will eventually share the ring. In fact, ‘King Ryan’ already appears to have a grand roadmap in mind for making the blockbuster matchup happen.

Ryan Garcia outlines his path to a fight with Terence Crawford 

Despite Ryan Garcia’s persistent efforts to secure a fight with Terence Crawford, the young WBC champion understands that luring one of the greatest boxers of this era out of retirement won’t be easy. To cement his chances, ‘King Ryan’ is willing to defeat Teofimo Lopez and finally settle his rivalry with Devin Haney, in addition to beating Conor Benn. 

“Once I beat Conor Benn in spectacular fashion, once I beat Teofimo in devastating fashion, and once I kick Devin’s a— for the last time in my life, I’ll be undisputed,” Garcia added in the conversation with Sharpe. “And then I’m going to call out, like, ‘Let’s go, Terence. Run that.’ I need all that.  But that’s like two years away, though.”   

As of now, Teofimo Lopez holds the WBA super welterweight title, while Devin Haney holds the WBO belt in the same division. If Garcia, who already owns the WBC title, defeats both champions, he would be just one step away from becoming undisputed. To claim the actual undisputed glory, ‘King Ryan’ would also need to defeat Liam Paro, the IBF welterweight champion.

That said, even if Garcia accomplishes everything on his ambitious roadmap, there is still no guarantee it will be enough to bring Terence Crawford out of retirement. Nevertheless, it would be fascinating to see whether the 38-year-old former undisputed champion eventually becomes interested in the blockbuster matchup.