Ian Garry insists he will NEVER fight Conor McGregor but could beat Canelo Alvarez with an eight-wee

Posted by Lorie Orum on Thursday, April 4, 2024

Ian Garry has very different thoughts about potential fights with the biggest stars in mixed martial arts and boxing.

The Irishman, who has been making a name for himself in MMA’s premier promotion, currently boasts a perfect 13-0 record ahead of his fight with Vicente Luque at UFC 296 on December 16.

Garry is a self-confessed fan of McGregor and has mimicked the UFC legend throughout his run with the company by copying his signature walk and famous trash talk.

Despite operating in a division ‘Notorious’ is known to frequent, Garry insists he will never entertain what would be an extremely lucrative fight with the former dual-weight champion.

“If I had a fight against Conor McGregor I would cheer for Conor McGregor,” Garry told talkSPORT Drive on Friday.

“I will absolutely sit here and say I will fight any man on the planet, except that man.

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“I have love and respect for everything that man has done for my country but also for me. The inspiration that man gave me, a fight against him doesn’t interest me in any way, shape, or form.

“We met up when we went to Dublin. We went to his pub, we had some food, chatted – it was awesome – we did some training. It was such an incredible, surreal experience and I’m forever grateful.”

While a fight with the biggest star in MMA isn’t an option, Garry does have one eye on a potential showdown with the most famous man in another sport.

The 25-year-old is confident he could handle undisputed super middleweight boxing world champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez due to his sheer size.

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Garry added: "I would fight Canelo Alvarez tomorrow and I promise you I would beat him.

“That’s not a joke. I promise you I will beat him. He’s 5ft9in, he wouldn’t be able to touch me. I’m 6ft3in. I’d throw a jab and he’d never beat me.

“I promise you now, if I put all my effort into boxing for eight weeks, I could beat Canelo Alvarez. That’s a promise!”

Garry isn’t the first UFC star to call out the Mexican boxing icon.

Kamaru Usman and Nate Diaz have previously tried to chase a fight with Canelo, but he has repeatedly distanced himself from crossover bouts without categorically ruling them out.

‘The Future’ is currently ranked at 10 in the welterweight division and is at least a couple more wins away from being a potential challenger for Leon Edwards’ belt.

Perhaps if he beats ‘Rocky’ and wins UFC gold, Garry will become an appealing option to Canelo who earns tens of millions every time he competes.

Until then, a fight with Alvarez is less likely than McGregor vs Garry.  

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