Ryan Garcia disputes reports of February 6 Teofimo Lopez fight

Ryan Garcia has disputed reports that he is in talks to face Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on February 6 and indicated that he would prefer not to return to New York, where his last two appearances ended with the Devin Haney result being overturned and an upset defeat to Rolando Romero.

Preliminary discussions between the fighters’ representatives had reportedly begun over a welterweight unification bout, with February 6 floated as a possible date at Madison Square Garden. Garcia, however, said he was unaware of any negotiations on his behalf and expressed reservations about fighting in the state again.

“This is not true no discussions at least from my side has had that,” Garcia wrote on social media. “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”.

Lopez was linked with Garcia after the WBC welterweight champion stopped mandatory challenger Conor Benn inside two rounds earlier this month. Lopez, who defeated Romero by majority decision in August to win the WBA welterweight title, attempted to enter the ring for a face-off with Garcia after the Benn fight but was stopped by security.

Any February meeting could also depend on Lopez’s obligations to Jack Catterall. The WBA had ordered Romero to face the winner of Catterall’s May 23 fight with Shakhram Giyasov within 180 days. Catterall defeated Giyasov to win the WBA’s secondary welterweight title, before Romero was permitted to face Lopez instead.

Catterall and Matchroom maintain that the mandatory obligation now belongs to Lopez as the new champion and have been pressing the WBA to enforce it. The original 180-day period runs to November 19. Lopez has disputed that position, arguing that the ruling was attached specifically to Romero rather than to whoever subsequently held the title.

Garcia had previously said Lopez was being considered for May 1 as part of a double-header involving cruiserweight champion David Benavidez. A February fight would also not fit neatly with Garcia’s stated intention to make another appearance in December or January rather than wait several months for Lopez.

“I either want to get in the ring in December or January,” Garcia told Ariel Helwani. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fight before [May]. There’s a lot of people out there. You have got Pitbull Cruz; I wouldn’t mind fighting him. You have Angel Fierro, who I sparred with for the Benn fight; I wouldn’t mind fighting him too.”

Garcia came through the Benn fight without the sort of damage that would require a lengthy break and said he wanted to remain active before a possible meeting with Lopez.

“I won’t call it a tune-up, but I don’t want to get off guard and wait till May to fight,” he said. “Why do I have to wait until May? I have no bruises; I have no hits to the head. Why can’t I fight? I’m going to give the fans a little treat.”

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz has since become Garcia’s preferred opponent for that interim appearance. After stopping Nestor Bravo and retaining his WBC interim super-lightweight title, Cruz publicly accepted Garcia’s challenge.

“Hey, Ryan, I’m here,” Cruz said. “My next fight is for you. Come on, Ryan.”

Garcia responded by saying he had authorised his attorney to make an offer, while warning that he would not approach Cruz again if it were rejected.

“I’ve already given the go [ahead] to my attorney – if he rejects this time I will never give him another chance, you have my word,” Garcia wrote.

He later added: “To make this very clear to the fans, I’ve asked to fight pitbull twice and one time he was my mandatory and he has denied twice. This will be my last time ever attempting to give him a chance. My word is very clear and I plan with my whole heart to follow it. If he denies I’ll never entertain this again.”

Cruz is not ranked by the WBC at welterweight, so the sanctioning body would have to approve him as a challenger if Garcia intended to defend his title. An agreement to fight Cruz in December or January would also leave a short turnaround for a proposed February 6 meeting with Lopez.

Garcia’s reluctance to return to New York comes after a complicated recent history with boxing in the state. Before facing Devin Haney at Barclays Center in April 2024, Garcia accused the New York State Athletic Commission of making him feel “targeted” after it required him to undergo a mental-health evaluation before clearing him to fight.

Garcia initially defeated Haney by majority decision, but the result was changed to a no-contest after he tested positive for ostarine. Garcia maintained that he had not intentionally taken a prohibited substance, but agreed to a settlement with NYSAC that included a one-year suspension, forfeiture of his official purse and a $10,000 fine.

His suspension was lifted in April 2025 after he satisfied the conditions imposed by the commission, clearing him to return against Romero in Times Square the following month. In the build-up to that fight, Garcia had also described NYSAC’s explanation for being unable to review Gervonta Davis’ controversial knee against Lamont Roach as “fishy”.

Garcia was then dropped and comprehensively outpointed by Romero in an unusually subdued performance. He appeared visibly emotional afterwards and said the preceding year had taken a toll on him “physically and mentally”. He also disliked the unusual Times Square setting, later saying the fight had felt like a sparring session, although he did not use either issue as an excuse for the defeat.

Garcia has not said that his history with NYSAC is the reason he would prefer not to return to New York, and he stopped short of ruling the state out entirely. For now, he also insists that no February 6 agreement with Lopez has been discussed from his side.

Between Garcia’s plans to fight again before then and Lopez’s unresolved mandatory situation with Catterall, significant hurdles remain before a February unification at Madison Square Garden can be considered settled.