Teddy Atlas Backs Ryan Garcia to Punish Isaac Cruz on the Outside

Teddy Atlas has already made up his mind. If Ryan Garcia lands a fight with Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz, the Hall of Fame trainer says he'd side with Garcia "in a big way" — and the reasoning comes down to geometry as much as skill. Garcia, now 25-2 (20 KO) and holding the WBC welterweight belt, stands roughly six inches taller than the Mexican, and Atlas thinks that gap decides the fight before a punch is thrown.

Garcia is coming off the loudest statement of his current run: a second-round stoppage of Conor Benn earlier this month, floored by a right hand before the finish came. That defense followed a unanimous-decision win over Mario Barrios in February to claim the title. It's a sharp turnaround for a fighter whose recent résumé also includes a decision loss to Rolando Romero — his second pro defeat — that landed right after a year-long doping ban.

Why Atlas Leans Garcia

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Atlas argued that Garcia's outside game — the sharp right hand, the left hook — would give him repeated openings against Cruz, the same way he found the mark against Benn. He's not writing Cruz off entirely. Atlas gave him credit for a good chin, plenty of grit, and more craft than his last outing suggested, noting he can move his head and use the jab when he chooses.

The sticking point, in Atlas's view, is whether the size is simply too much. Cruz has spent his last six fights at 140lbs, while Garcia looks settled at 147. That's not a small adjustment for a naturally smaller man walking up to face a full-fledged welterweight champion.

Cruz did his part to keep the conversation alive last weekend, blasting out Nestor Bravo inside six rounds. The strength and pressure are real. But strength doesn't shrink a reach disadvantage, and Atlas clearly thinks Garcia would have too many chances to land clean from range.

Garcia has said he's targeting another outing in 2026, and Cruz is the name he wants across from him. Whether the fight gets made is another matter — but if it does, one of the sport's most respected voices already has his lean, and it isn't close.