Ryan Garcia insists Floyd Mayweather has agreed to risk his perfect 50-0 record in a world title fight – even admitting he initially thought the idea was rubbish.
The American star made the extraordinary claim on Thursday morning Australian time, declaring the pair had agreed to meet for his WBC welterweight crown.
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Mayweather is 49. He has not fought professionally since stopping Conor McGregor in 2017.
Yet Garcia says the retired boxing great wants a proper fight, with a world championship and his unblemished record at stake.
“Trust me at first I thought this was bull***,” Garcia wrote on social media.
“But it’s real Floyd and I agree to a fight.”
Garcia specified the proposed bout would take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, adding: “50-0 vs The current champ.”
He also shared a screenshot of a FaceTime conversation with Mayweather.
But there is still a big gap between two fighters agreeing to square off and a confirmed world title fight.
At the time of writing, Mayweather had not publicly confirmed Garcia’s announcement. No date, venue or broadcaster had been announced, while WBC approval for the proposed fight also remained unconfirmed.
If the bizarre title fightdoes happen, it could also be bad news for Australia’s Liam Paro.
The IBF champ is hoping to secure a unification showdown with Garcia early next year, having outlined plans for a title defence before Christmas.
“Hopefully snag Garcia early next year,” Paro recently told Fox Sports Australia.
“We’re not waiting around twiddling our thumbs.”
Garcia’s announcement has also prompted questions about both the likelihood of the fight happening and the merits of Mayweather getting a world title shot so late in his career.
Veteran boxing reporter Dan Rafael urged fans to take a breath, pointing to Mayweather’s existing contractual commitments and well-known legal issues.
“Before anyone gets too excited about a supposed Ryan-Floyd fight, and I have no idea why anyone would, remember Floyd has contracts in place with Netflix and CSI for a Pacquiao rematch and is also facing criminal charges in the bad check case,” Rafael wrote on X.
“Everybody slow your roll.”
Terence Crawford, meanwhile, questioned why Garcia was pursuing a retired legend approaching his 50th birthday instead of the current generation of tough contenders.
“I know you not fighting nobody old and outta they prime,” Crawford wrote to Garcia on X.
“Shouldn’t you be fighting all these young hungry in prime lions?”
But Crawford still backed Mayweather to teach Garcia a thing or two.
“P.S Floyd gone beat yo ass if yall fight.”
Respected trainer Robert Garcia offered a different take when asked about the matchup earlier this month.
“I don’t think that it is true, but if it did happen I think Ryan (would win),” he told ESNews.
The trainer pointed to Mayweather’s age and inactivity – despite believing Garcia would have been outclassed by Mayweather in his prime.
That leaves Garcia facing questions on two fronts: whether the fight will actually happen, and what beating this version of Mayweather would prove.
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Commercially, however, the attraction is pretty clear.
Garcia would get the chance to become the first man to beat Mayweather professionally.
Mayweather would be attempting to show that his skills can still overcome a popular champion more than two decades younger.
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