Days after stunning the world with his majority decision win over Devin Haney on April 20, Ryan Garcia has directed his attention to internet personality and WWE star Logan Paul. The 25-year-old boxer appeared on the PBD podcast, where he did not hold back, accusing Paul and fellow YouTube star KSI of being ‘culture vultures.’
When asked if he would consider fighting Paul, Garcia, known as King Ryan, responded with confidence. “I will destroy Logan Paul,” he declared. “I’ve already sparred him [and] he didn’t hurt me once. He was way bigger than me, and I was whooping his ass.”
Garcia might have been referencing a video titled ‘I taught @loganpaulvlogs how to knock Floyd Mayweather out,’ which he uploaded to his YouTube channel on April 1, 2021. In the video, Garcia assisted Paul in training for his June 2021 fight against Mayweather. The pair sparred for a few rounds, though much of the footage was excluded from the vlog at Paul’s camp’s request.
Despite Garcia’s training tips, Paul failed to knock down Mayweather in their exhibition match, even with his significant size advantage. Mayweather’s superior experience was evident as he landed 40.2 percent of his punches compared to Paul’s 12.2 percent. Fast forward three years, and the relationship between Garcia and Paul has soured, with Garcia launching a tirade against the Prime co-founder.
“They’re leachers, man,” Garcia said, addressing his issues with Paul and KSI. “They don’t stand for nothing, bro. They’re puppets – and at the end of the day, I don’t like people like that. These dudes are culture vultures. These dudes are wack.”
Garcia also accused Paul of exploiting social movements for personal gain. “You joined every movement you thought was possible for your platform [to grow]. He used the whole black empowerment movement [and] what happened with George Floyd for his benefit. And he got a lot of love for that, right?” Garcia continued, criticizing Paul for allegedly dismissing a collaborator for discussing Christianity.
Garcia’s outspoken behavior came after a controversial buildup to his fight with Haney in Brooklyn, New York. His erratic social media activity had fans concerned for his mental health, with posts as extreme as claiming he was murdered after getting his ‘throat slit.’
However, on fight night, Garcia delivered one of the most impressive performances of his career. He scored three knockdowns, handing Haney, who was previously undefeated with a 31-0 record, his first career loss.