Ryan Garcia hits back at Jake Paul naysayers: "Similar path as most pros"

Boxing star Ryan Garcia recently defended influencer-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul against his critics. Paul has garnered significant commercial success in his boxing career and has shown notable progress in his boxing skills.

However, many observers have questioned his relevence in the competitive sphere, accusing him of fighting out-of-prime veterans of the sport and suggesting that some of his fights may be fixed. These discusssions came to the forefront in light of Paul's recent unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Garcia sided with Paul in this debate and hit back at critics in a recent post on X, writing:

"You can’t say Jake’s fights are rigged. It’s getting ridiculous. He’s just winning. May not be against the people you want or are qualified to give him a challenge but it’s just bc he’s popular. He has 11 pro fights. He’s on a similar path as most pros."

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When Ryan Garcia called out Jake Paul for a fight

Ryan Garcia appears to have a positive view of Jake Paul's boxing career trajectory. However, he has previously shifted his stance on this matter and even expressed the desire to fight Paul in a professional boxing match.

Garcia and Paul shared a close personal relationship and even trained together in the past. However, their reationship turned sour after Paul was scheduled to fight Mike Tyson.

In a social media post, Garcia, who was serving a suspension due to a positive drug test in 2024, shared his plan to fight Paul to avenge Tyson's defeat.

He elaborated further on his statement during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show in November 2024.

Garcia said:

"We're cool, but he was trying to beat up on [Mike Tyson]. The same way I feel about Manny Pacquiao, same way I feel about this. We said we would run it one day... He came to my gym long time ago, in Victorville... I, kind of, gave birth to his boxing career. So, I'm here to end it."

Check out Ryan Garcia's comments below (8:09):