BRITAIN’S Luke Campbell finally goes one-on-one with Ryan Garcia this weekend as 2021 kicks-off in explosive fashion.
The huge clash was supposed to take place on December 5 in California but was postponed for a month after the Englishman tested positive for coronavirus.
Luke Campbell will return to the ring this weekendCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
The Brit battles American Ryan Garcia on January 2Credit: Getty
The winner will be crowned the new WBC lightweight champion.
But how do the pair stack up against each other ahead of Saturday’s showdown?
Age
At 11 years Campbell’s junior, Garcia appears to have age on his side.
But Britain’s Olympic gold medallist certainly has the upper hand when it comes to experience.
Despite his legion of fans, many critics have argued Garcia has still not faced anyone of elite calibre.
Campbell has come undone whenever he has stepped up in class previously, losing to Vasiliy Lomachenko, Jorge Linares and Yvan Mendy – although he did go on to avenge that defeat.
Now we will find out whether he has learned his lessons from his battles with those big names, or whether Garcia can back up his talk and silence his doubters.
How they compare
Physicality
Southpaw Campbell is well-renowned as a good boxer-puncher.
But despite recording 16 knockouts from his 23 pro fights, many still feel he is just below the true top-level elite of the sport.
Meanwhile, Garcia is widely-regarded as perhaps having the fastest hands in boxing.
And if he can connect right, that could easily lead to him recording his 18th KO win.
Record
Garcia has shot to stardom with an impressive 20-0 start to life as a pro.
But as stated above, even though he has 17 KOs to his name already, a lot of his critics believe he has never tested himself against a true top star yet.
That chance arrives on Saturday against Campbell.
After winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics, Campbell made a fine start to his life as a professional before losing his unbeaten streak in his 13th fight against Mendy.
He has gone on to lose twice more since then, one of which came last time out via unanimous decision to Lomachenko last year.
His record stands at 20 wins from his 23 matches, with 17 coming via KO.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
