Gen-Z superstar Ryan Garcia sacrificed Christmas so he can try to take the world by storm in the greatest bout of his life

Gen-Z superstar Ryan Garcia, 22, endured a Christmas period like no other he has experienced before.

The Garcia family custom comprises gingerbread houses, Santa costumes, and a festive mood throughout December. It’s the fighter’s favorite holiday.

Garcia even recounted to Insider his best Christmas moment. “Back when I was younger, I eventually acquired this computer game ‘Rock Band’ where you become a band member, and I recruited my family to play drums, guitar, and somebody sings.

“I wanted the game so bad and we all spent hours playing it. That was the best Christmas.”

The Californian told us he generally “turns things up” around New Year’s Eve and even traveled to New York City to see the singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes so the duo could usher in 2020 together one year ago.

These days, things are radically different. Garcia knew all along he’d skip leftovers on Christmas Day as his diet is so rigorous, and he’d likely have an early night on December 31.

There’d be no party in The Big Apple with Canada’s newest music sensation this year, as he’d instead be in Texas, ready to make weight at 135 pounds. “It sucks,” he informed us.

But that’s the life a fighter sometimes has to live when they’re training for the greatest match of their life.

And Garcia’s first big fight arrives Saturday when he takes on the former gold medal-winning Olympian boxer Luke Campbell at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which is a Golden Boy-promoted event that’ll be aired on DAZN.

Victory over Campbell would signify Garcia’s coming-out party as a world-level fighter and tee up big-money showdowns against other rising boxers like Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez.

Garcia has had to make compromises during the holiday season because of the timing of his January 2 bout, but he says it’s not all bad because he sees Saturday as the beginning of a new chapter in his career.

Campbell is a step-up in class for Garcia, who took the industry by storm when he bounced his opponent’s head off the canvas with a left hook knockdown 11 months ago.

The DAZN analyst Sergio Mora tweeted “a new star is born” at the time, and even Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who represents Garcia’s rival Gervonta Davis, was thrilled.

Garcia has not fought since then but he is projected to win when he returns to the ring for the Campbell encounter, which will be “a very important moment” in Garcia’s career to date, the fighter added.

“I took Christmas as just another day as I’m focused on January 2. There’ll be a lot of good Christmases when I come out on top.

“I simply have to give this my all, and my family and everybody around me understand that because they know what my dream is. I’m not in the best Christmas spirit; I’m hungry. They understand.”

When asked if a Campbell win signifies his coming-out party as a championship-caliber fighter ready for his lightweight competitors like Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, and Gervonta Davis, Garcia said, “I absolutely view it as that.”

He added, “This is a time that will be very defining in my career, and possibly the most crucial in my career thus far.

“This is going to set me up for the battles that can make me a legend one day; therefore, I have to win this fight. I’ve put my whole heart into this. This is it. Guys, I’m really happy.

“Campbell is a good fighter, a good boxer. I admire how he fights and the tools he has. He certainly doesn’t have the power or the best speed, in my opinion. But he’s a really good technical boxer.”

Garcia said he’s noticed deficiencies in Campbell’s fighting style via his losses against Yvan Mendy in 2015 and Jorge Linares two years later.

These are things Campbell cannot address, as Garcia told us. “I see minor things and I’ll see in the ring a little better. I might see a shot much faster than I expected. I think this fight can potentially bring that dog out of me. And if I’ve got to take it to him to win this fight, I will. So, whatever I’ve got to do, I’ll go in and do it.”