Roy Jones Jr. says Ryan Garcia needs to add more to his offensive arsenal to compete with the upper echelon at 140, like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
Jones Jr. says Ryan’s limited offense arsenal, which is just his left hook, isn’t enough for him to beat the top rung in the light welterweight division because they know that’s his only weapon, and they’ll neutralize it the same way Gervonta Davis did last April.
Left Hook: Lethal Weapon, Double-Edged Sword
Jones Jr. feels that Garcia’s overemphasis on throwing his killer left hook will work against the lesser fighters, but he’s got to add more weapons to his game to keep opponents guessing so they don’t just key on his one punch.
“I like him a lot. I think Ryan is an awesome fighter. The problem with Ryan is he’s got a left hook that is a killer, but everybody knows that. So until he gets something else to disguise the left hook, something else to make people worry about, he’s going to have a hard time,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Fighthype when asked if Ryan Garcia is ready for 140-lb champions Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.
Ryan has worked on developing his right hand and his jab, but neither of them has developed into enough of a weapon to keep his opponent honest. When Ryan does throw a jab, he looks timid and short-arms it for fear of being countered.
Jones Jr. didn’t say anything about Ryan’s defense, which is a real problem for him with him using the Philly shell and turning his back on his opponents. That is going to need to improve for Ryan to compete with the higher-level fighters at 140.
The Upper Echelon Challenge
“With the upper echelon fighters,” Roy Jr. said about the type Ryan will have problems with. “The regular fighters, he’ll kill. If he hits you with his left hook, it’s over with. But the guys that know not to get hit with the left hook like Tank did, they’re going to be a problem until he gets more put in his arsenal.
“If you want to win, you’ll do it. If you want to win bad enough, you’ll go change. If you don’t want to win and are just out for the money, you’re not going to take the time,” said Jones Jr.
