Ryan Garcia is back with a bang. But more formidable challenges lie ahead of him. One of them is the WBO and The Ring junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson. However, does Garcia have the tools to overcome Stevenson? Terence Crawford does not think so.

The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas witnessed Garcia getting back into the winning column. He put on a clinical display against Mario Barrios to beat him via unanimous decision. With that win, the 27-year-old also became the new WBC welterweight champion. And for his first title defense, Garcia wants to scrap against Stevenson. But Crawford has highlighted why it may be a bad idea.

Crawford previews Garcia vs. Stevenson fight

“I think he wiped the floor with him,” said Terence Crawford during the live DAZN broadcast. “You know, I don’t think Ryan’s gonna be able to hit Shakur like Barrios. Barrios was right there to be hit. Barrios was too slow. They have no game plan. He followed them the whole fight, and Shakur is not going to be that fighter to be hit on. It’s simple.”

During his fight against Barrios, Ryan Garcia quite comfortably found openings to land his shots. According to Crawford, ‘El Azteca’ was visibly slow. And that is something which the 27-year-old won’t get to take advantage of against Shakur Stevenson. On top of that, the assessment comes from a person who bowed out of the sport with an undefeated record of 42-0.

Surely, the matchup intrigues many. Currently, both Garcia and Stevenson are ready to fight each other next. But then again, there is a complication with another star boxer, Conor Benn, being close to the WBC welterweight title. After Benn’s victory over Chris Eubank Jr., the sanctioning body confirmed him as the mandatory challenger for the title.

While there is uncertainty about who Garcia might face next, Stevenson, in particular, has stated his terms for the fight.

Stevenson wants ‘VADA’ involvement

Ryan Garcia has a controversial history. Following his win over Devin Haney in 2024, the result was turned into a no-contest as Garcia tested positive for PEDs. And due to that, the 27-year-old also served a 12-month ban from boxing. To ensure they have a fair fight, Shakur Stevenson wants the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) to be part of their bout.

“Was VADA involved in this fight?” said Stevenson during the live DAZN broadcast. “I saw him with Rolly, he didn’t look like that. If he’s fighting me next, I’m all for the challenge, but VADA will be involved. We’ll meet in the middle [144 lbs]. Two big stars, we don’t need a belt for the fight.”

Stevenson is arguably one of the standout boxers in today’s world, who boasts an unblemished 25-0 record. And in his most recent fight, he put on a clinical performance against Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles.

Surely, a fighter of his stature would want to take precautionary steps ahead of such a high-profile matchup. But legends like Terence Crawford are quite confident in Stevenson’s ability to beat Garcia.

However, as of now, nothing about the potential fight has been confirmed yet. On that note, who do you think Garcia makes his first WBC welterweight title defense against? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!