Tyson Fury backs Ryan Garcia to succeed Canelo as boxing’s US star

Tyson Fury has named the man he believes will carry American boxing once Canelo Alvarez is gone, and it is not the fighter many purists would pick.

In an interview with Michelle Joy Phelps, which was published earlier this month, Fury backed Ryan Garcia as the next big star in the United States. For Fury, it comes down to personality rather than perfect technique.

“I think, now, other than Canelo, and Canelo’s obviously on his way out, it’s Ryan Garcia in America,” Fury said, as reported by Boxing News. “And there’s obviously some other guys, like Haney and Abdullah Mason and Richardson Hitchins, Shakur Stevenson.”

Why Tyson Fury picks Garcia

Fury was honest about his reasons. He didn’t claim Garcia is the best fighter in America. His point was that Garcia is the one people want to watch, and the one who sells.

“He’s got a personality. He talks. He’s entertaining. He’s charismatic,” Fury told talkSPORT. He added that there are “probably guys out there who are technically polished more”, but that they “don’t sell the same”.

“At the end of the day, this is a business,” he said. Fury knows that better than most, having sold his own fights with his mouth as much as his fists.

Garcia’s big year

It is easy to see why Garcia’s name came to mind. The 28-year-old won the WBC welterweight title against Mario Barrios in February, then defended it with a second-round stoppage of Conor Benn in September, a result that hurt plenty of British fans.

He is also at the centre of one of the biggest fights being discussed in America. Teofimo Lopez wants to face him, and reports say the WBA has confirmed Lopez can apply for a special permit. We covered that twist, and what it means for Jack Catterall, in our Teofimo Lopez vs Ryan Garcia report.

Canelo, meanwhile, is still winning. The 36-year-old regained the WBC super-middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Christian Mbilli last month. But in Fury’s view, the Mexican is on his way out, and the race to replace him has begun.

Star power rather than technical ability

Fury named some of America’s best fighters in the same breath. They include Devin Haney, the WBO welterweight champion, and Shakur Stevenson, the WBO super-lightweight champion. But his argument was about who draws the crowds, not who has the best record or technique.

Haney also has history with Garcia. Garcia beat him in April 2024, but the result was changed to a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test.

Fury’s own big night

Fury has plenty on his own plate. He faces Anthony Joshua at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 11 December. You can follow every update on our Fury vs Joshua fight page, and read Shane McGuigan’s Fury vs Joshua prediction.

That night shows what Fury means: two big personalities, a huge stadium and a whole country talking. If Garcia can create that kind of feeling in America, Fury may well be proved right.

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