“Most of the tickets are gone, Ryan Garcia says in a recent ESNews video. “The good seats, they’re going.” Garcia is undeniably a popular boxer. The 23-year-old Californian boasts a 22-0 record, endorsement deals, and millions of social media followers despite not having won a single world title. But here’s the thing: the guy can strike like a sledgehammer. He also appears to be quite hungry for great tasks. It’s no surprise that tickets for Garcia’s bout against fellow lightweight Javier Fortuna on July 16th at LA’s Crypto.com Arena are selling swiftly.

“This is the fight you guys are going to see,” he says, “to assess for the next big one.” Sure enough, Garcia last fought in April, when he battled Emmanuel Tragone to the final bell. Garcia won by unanimous decision, but all but three of his prior fights had ended prematurely. You might sometimes become a victim of your own success. Garcia, on the other hand, hadn’t fought in over a year due to personal issues before facing Tragone, so there’s still hope for the man among boxing’s notoriously harsh fanbase.  “I will definitely beat Fortuna,” Garcia declares confidently.

The little film shows that the emerging star views himself as still learning – not only about boxing, but possibly about life. “I’m just growing up,” he adds, “maturing, but I’m still a kid at heart.” Garcia enjoys verbal sparring, while being far from the worst trash talker around. “If you have brothers,” he continues, “you talk shit.” which Garcia dismisses as harmless sarcasm.  “If you take life too serious you’re going to miss out on the good parts in life,” he adds. “It’s boring if I don’t say anything.” Garcia says, insisting that “it’s all in fun.”

However, as Garcia is well aware, the boxing ring is a serious place where horrible things may occur. A fighter who had 18 knockouts in 22 fights understands the power of a boxer’s blows better than anybody else. And Garcia is well aware of the gravity of the fight game. While he has no beef with Fortuna, Garcia isn’t going to hold back when the gates open in California next month. “It’s battle in there,” he adds. “It’s not my fault if he (Fortuna) gets harmed.”

Boxing is a frigid sport.