Ryan Garcia Opens Up About The Multimillion-Dollar Jake Paul Offer

Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) is all set to make his WBC comeback with a challenge for Mario Barrios’ (29-2-2, 18 KOs) WBC welterweight world title on February 21. However, it looks like there might just have been a lucrative fight offer that he passed up on.

Taking to Instagram on a live appearance, Garcia revealed that he was offered an opportunity to fight Jake Paul prior to his fight against Anthony Joshua.

“They offered me like $20 million or $25 million, and then I said,  ‘That’s like nothing!’ No, but I was like, ‘Man, I want this world title,’” he said. “In my heart, I wanted to fight for the world title. It would have sidetracked me crazy.”

How this fight would have happened is another question in itself; Garcia naturally fights at much lighter weights. For his May 2025 comeback fight against Rolly Romero, he weighed in at around 146.8 lb. Meanwhile, prior to the Joshua fight, Paul weighed in around 199 lb, for the Julio Cesar Chavez fight, just under the cruiserweight limit.

While offers don’t always guarantee a deal, another major issue that the duo might have run into is the business and contract logistics. Garcia is signed with Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN, while Paul was recently tied to Netflix. According to boxing insiders, those different broadcast relationships make it very difficult, legally and logistically, for Garcia vs. Paul to even get booked.

Garcia, however, isn’t entirely throwing out the idea of fighting Paul in the future.

“It can still happen, it’s there any time. Jake, you heard it, bro, everyone wants to see it once your jaw’s fixed,” he said. “He’s a big boy, but he went against Anthony Joshua, that’s a big boy. We’ll give him his try to be the big guy and see what he can do.”

“It’s Just Not What I Do”

Dana White, on the other hand, has been openly critical about Joshua vs Paul. Talking to Complex News, the UFC boss shed light on why the fight does not deserve praise and why no one would see him doing anything similar.

“It’s crazy that that fight was even allowed to happen,” he said, not holding back. “As long as people want to pay to watch him fight, I guess he can keep doing it. It’s just not what I do. To even comment on it, I think everybody that was involved in that thing should be embarrassed, No. 1. And No. 2, it’s just not what I’m into. Not my thing.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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