Key points:
- Ryan Garcia has denied Chris Mannix’s report of preliminary talks for a February 6 fight with Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden
- Garcia says no discussions have taken place on his side, though he hasn’t ruled New York out entirely
- Isaac Cruz publicly called out Garcia after stopping Nestor Bravo, and Garcia accepted almost immediately
- Lopez’s WBA mandatory obligation to Jack Catterall remains unresolved regardless of what Garcia decides next
Turns out the fight everyone was already pencilling in isn’t quite as far along as it sounded. Ryan Garcia’s gone and denied the whole thing himself.
“This is not true; no discussions, at least from my side has had that. Unless I don’t know about them, but I’m not looking to fight at in NY even tho I’m not totally taking that off the table,” Garcia wrote on X, hours after Chris Mannix reported preliminary talks for February 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Worth reading the denial carefully
He’s not ruling New York out completely – “not totally taking that off the table” leaves the door open. What he’s actually denying is that his side has had any conversations at all, which either means Mannix’s sourcing ran ahead of where talks genuinely stand, or Garcia’s deliberately playing down his hand before terms get finalised. Either’s plausible.
Cruz is still sat there waiting for an answer
None of this touches the other half of Garcia’s decision. Isaac Cruz called him out live after stopping Nestor Bravo, and Garcia’s already said yes in principle. December with Cruz remains the one path that doesn’t depend on Lopez sorting out his own mess with Jack Catterall first.