Key Takeaways
- Ryan Garcia declared “I’m the fighter of the year” after wins over Mario Barrios and Conor Benn, challenging O’Shaquie Foster’s claim to the honor.
- Foster argued that his victories over Emanuel Navarrete and Raymond Ford outclass Garcia’s résumé, sparking a heated exchange between the champions.
- Garcia will co-host an invite-only Halloween party with streamer N3on on Oct. 28 as he considers another fight in December.
Ryan Garcia has his sights set on Fighter of the Year, but first, he's got a Halloween party to throw.
The WBC welterweight champion is teaming up with streamer N3on for an Oct. 28 bash, just days after getting into a social media back-and-forth over whether he deserves boxing's year-end recognition.
N3on, the 22-year-old content creator born Mikyle Rafiq, announced the event with a vampire-themed flyer on Instagram over the weekend. Both men are billed as hosts, though the location and guest list haven't been revealed. Anyone interested in attending is simply instructed to “DM FOR INVITE LINK.”
The celebration comes almost exactly a year after the pair ran into each other at a Halloween party, a moment shared on TikTok as a “wholesome” reunion.
As for the Fighter of the Year back-and-forth, that started on Sunday, Oct. 25, when Garcia responded on X after boxing broadcaster Dan Canobbio named O'Shaquie Foster the front-runner for the honor.
“You lost your mind,” Garcia wrote. “I'm the fighter of the year.”
He didn't stop there.
“I wish I can screenshot peoples faces when I am picked as fighter of the year,” Garcia wrote in another post, laughing off critics who questioned his chances.
The 28-year-old has two victories backing his argument. In February, he defeated Mario Barrios by unanimous decision to capture the WBC welterweight title before defending it with a second-round TKO of Conor Benn in September.
Foster, however, has a case of his own. On Saturday, Oct. 24, he defeated Emanuel Navarrete by unanimous decision to unify three junior lightweight championships, adding to his earlier victory over former world champion Raymond Ford.
Garcia gave Foster credit for beating Navarrete but dismissed Ford as “not a standout fighter,” prompting a response from the newly crowned unified champion.
“Neither one of your wins compare to mines dude!!” Foster fired back on X on Monday, Oct. 26, questioning whether Benn was a better opponent than Ford.
Garcia isn't ruling out another trip to the ring this year, either. “I'm on the hunt,” he wrote on X in September. “December I'm throwing hands. Then right to May.” A third victory could give his Fighter of the Year case another boost, according to The Ring.
While Garcia's next fight remains unconfirmed, his Halloween plans with N3on are already taking shape.
The two have a history that goes back at least to August 2023, when Garcia joined N3on and Adin Ross for a two-on-one sparring session that ended with the professional boxer dropping Ross with a body shot.
More recently, all three reunited at Brand Risk 016 on Oct. 16, where Garcia supported a fighter from ringside and N3on joined the commentary panel.
