When it’s about Ryan Garcia, Jake Paul wants everyone to read between the lines. While Garcia’s statement victory over Conor Benn sent a clear message to the boxing world, whether it benefitted the sport, particularly its business side, is a question few, like Paul, believe deserves a closer look. The welterweight champion’s post-fight back-and-forth with Terence Crawford has given Paul more reasons to doubt.
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“Brother, you need to stop the bulls**it,” read what appeared to be a deleted post from Paul. “Crawford would take you down in two seconds and beat your a** in the streets. And so would I.”
“You just lost Paramount $10’s of millions. Only thing your the face of is that white power.”
Paul’s message appears to be driven by several factors, with the surging feud between Garcia and Crawford at the center of it.
It began before Garcia fought Benn. Months ago, the Victorville native questioned Crawford’s legacy, stating that he avoided the elite “young and hungry” fighters. The former undisputed champion added fuel to the fire by picking Benn to defeat Garcia.
Just days before the fight at the T-Mobile Arena, in an interview with Shannon Sharpe, Garcia took another shot at Crawford, saying he retired prematurely without facing opponents who could have given him a serious challenge.
The back-and-forth has escalated since Garcia stopped Benn in the second round of his first title defense.
Jake Paul tried putting Ryan Garcia on blast in a now-deleted post 😬 “You just lost Paramount $10's of millions. Only thing your the face of is that white powder.”
In an interview, Garcia told Ariel Helwani, “He’s (Crawford) jealous of me. He knows that. He can’t deny that fact in him. He’s like, Damn, I don’t really like this f***er. Cool. Jealousy, motherf***er. I’ll beat the f*** out you. I’ll beat the jealous out of you.”
Crawford, meanwhile, kept responding with his usual composed self. He teased Garcia for not calling him out when he was active professionally. During the last 24 hours, the former world champion mocked Garcia for his social media call-outs, saying he would be a different person without his security detail.
Those comments drew a fiery response from Garcia, who said, “Okay, so let’s square up, bro, on or off the ring. I’m ready to handle this.”
So for Jake Paul, the whole exchange stood out.
Jake Paul takes the gloves off with Ryan Garcia
While his relationship with Garcia transitioned from friendship to rivalry, with the welterweight champion even facing a legal threat from elder brother Logan, Jake has always spoken about Crawford with respect, stating that the Nebraskan remains one of the real and dedicated figures in the sport.
That helps explain why Garcia’s frequent call-outs to Crawford irked him.
There’s also a personal angle.
Last year, after the exhibition matchup against Gervonta “Tank” Davis failed to materialize, Paul and his team zeroed in on Ryan Garcia, who was coming off a loss to Orlando “Rollo” Romero. But Garcia seemingly refused the offer that was reported to be around $20 million.
“I was offered Mario for a world title, and I said to myself, ‘If I’m always chasing money, I’m a real boxer, you know, and I have a world title on the line,'” Garcia told Shannon Sharpe. “And I just knew you chase money; nothing good comes out of it, right? I’ve done it before.”
“I’ve made this mistake before. Don’t chase the money…And then this little carrot came wiggling at me. I was like, nah, that doesn’t seem right. It’s temptation. I’m going to stick to what I know. And ultimately, I’m getting, you know, well, getting paid a lot of money for this fight. So, it’s like it worked out for me.”
That rejection adds another layer to Paul’s criticism of Garcia. But there is also a promotional angle.
Months ago, a poaching attempt from Zuffa Boxing resulted in Conor Benn leaving long-time promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. The deal was said to be a one-fight offer worth $15 million.
Benn fulfilled the deal with a fight against former world champion Regis Prograis that marked his promotional debut. He later signed a fresh five-fight deal with Zuffa. While financial details surrounding the new contract remain limited, it is easy to assume that Benn would have received a lucrative offer.
For Benn to have suffered a humiliating loss on what many viewed as the biggest fight of his career was not only a personal setback but also a one that is expected to have a significant impact on the promoters, including the broadcast partner Paramount+.
When they have spent so much on a fighter, they would expect a reasonable return on their investment. That puts Zuffa and Paramount in a difficult position. Some, like Jake Paul, a successful promoter himself, blame Garcia for it.
Then there’s Garcia’s infamous doping controversy.
Turning out to be 2024’s biggest boxing scandal, Garcia failed to clear tests for the fight against Devin Haney. While he won the bout, the test results led to it being declared a no contest.
Based on its findings, the athletic commission later suspended Garcia for a year alongside a string of financial penalties.
With the win over Benn, Garcia has made a full turnaround in his career, but the ghosts of the doping controversy continue to follow him, giving his critics another reason to attack him.
Taken together, Paul’s latest rant against Garcia could be viewed as something personal.
With multiple options emerging for his next matchup, including a potential title unification with Teofimo Lopez, if Garcia takes out his frustration on Paul as well, the current back-and-forth could develop into a three-pronged social media beef.
A reigning world champion on one side against a former world title holder on the other, and a YouTuber-turned-fighter in the middle of it.