Anthony Joshua wasn’t the only boxer Jake Paul approached for his December 19 showcase fight.
After cancelling an exhibition bout with Gervonta Davis, scheduled for November 14, Paul’s handlers reached out to a who’s who of high-profile names.
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Garcia was offered $20m to fight Paul on December 19Credit: @jakepaul – IG
Among them was Ryan Garcia, who claims he was offered $20million (£15.1m) to share the ring with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
While ‘King Ry’ was initially tempted by the money-spinning approach, he ended up rejecting it in favour of a shot at Mario Barrios’ WBC welterweight title for less money.
Explaining his decision to Covers.com, Garcia said: “I didn’t take the Jake Paul fight because I had the Barrios fight lined up, so I showed you. I had $20 million offered.
“I went with Barrios for less, so that’s to show you right now, and that’s a stupid matchup [for me]. He’s 220 pounds, for damn’s sake.
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“People are not going to think I’m good unless I knock him out.
“How am I going to knock out a 220-pound dude that somewhat knows how to box?
“Yeah, I could catch them, but they’re trying to fight with 12-ounce gloves. I’m trying to fight with 8-ounce. Let me have 8-ounce.
“You could have 12-ounce. That’s fair. You got the weight, I get the four ounces in gloves.
“If it makes sense [in the future I’ll consider a Jake Paul fight].
“But as of right now, that’s kind of just in the back of my mind.
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Garcia turned down the proposal to box Barrios for the WBC beltCredit: Getty
“I’ve already denied the $20 million, so it’s always gonna be there, right?
“If he keeps going, it’s always gonna be there. You never know.
“But as of right now, I think that my opportunities in boxing just serve me better.”
Joshua went on to accept the fight with Paul for a reported £140m prize pot, split evenly down the middle and is now just under three weeks away from cashing the massive cheque.
Garcia, meanwhile, is set to square off with Barrios on February 21.
At the time of writing, neither Garcia’s representatives, Golden Boy Promotions, nor Barrios’ promoter, Premier Boxing Champions, has officially announced the fight.
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However, Garcia recently posted a video of himself signing the contract.
Victory is expected to lead to the long-awaited rematch with newly crowned WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney, who snatched the red and gold strap from Brian Norman Jr earlier this month.
Garcia initially got his hand raised the first time around in April 2024, but the result was overturned to a no-contest after ‘King Ry’ failed two pre-fight drug tests.
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Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh attempted to set up a sequel for October 2025, contingent on both men winning their respective bouts on Ring Magazine’s Times Square card in May.
Haney held up his end of the bargain by beating Jose Ramirez, while Garcia was stunned by Rolly Romero to put an end to the plans.