James Toney has offered some serious praise for Ryan Garcia ahead of his upcoming fight with Conor Benn, comparing the WBC welterweight champion to one of Mexico’s most celebrated fighters.
Garcia is preparing to make the first defense of his WBC welterweight title against Benn on September 12. The fight comes seven months after Garcia defeated Mario Barrios by unanimous decision to finally capture a world championship.
Ahead of the matchup, three-division world champion Toney was asked about Garcia and pointed to the late Salvador Sanchez as the fighter he sees similarities with.
James Toney Sees Salvador Sanchez In Ryan Garcia
Speaking with ESNews, Toney didn’t hesitate when naming Sanchez, who held the WBC featherweight championship from 1980 until his death in a car accident at just 23 years old.
Toney went even further with his praise of the Mexican legend, putting Sanchez above Canelo Alvarez when discussing Mexico’s greatest fighter.
[Garcia reminds me of] Salvador Sanchez.”
“Salvador Sanchez is the greatest Mexican fighter ever. Period.
Sanchez packed an extraordinary amount into a career that ended far too early. He finished with a professional record of 44-1-1 with 32 knockouts and established himself among the elite fighters of his generation.
For Garcia to draw that comparison from Toney is significant, particularly as the 28-year-old enters an important stage of his own career.
Garcia had experienced setbacks on his road toward becoming a world champion. He missed out on the opportunity to win Devin Haney’s WBC super-lightweight title after failing to make weight and later suffered a defeat against Rolando Romero while pursuing the WBA welterweight championship.
His victory over Barrios in February finally put a major world title around his waist.
Toney Predicts Early Night For Conor Benn
Toney isn’t only impressed by Garcia’s talent. He also expects the champion to make relatively quick work of Benn.
The former world champion predicted Garcia will finish the British challenger inside five rounds.
Ryan is a talent, man. I am serious. He is different.
Toney followed that praise by describing Benn as “easy work” for Garcia and predicting the fight won’t make it beyond the fifth round.
Benn enters the matchup as the WBC mandatory challenger despite not having competed at the welterweight limit since 2022. That adds another layer of intrigue to the fight, particularly after his recent bouts took place at higher weights.
Garcia, meanwhile, has the opportunity to prove his championship victory over Barrios was the beginning of a sustained run at 147 pounds.
