Ryan Garcia Says Tenshin Nasukawa Should Fight Him over Conor McGregor

Up-and-coming boxer Ryan Garcia said Tuesday he has interest in fighting Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Garcia discussed the possible clash:

Garcia said Nasukawa should have fought him instead of facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition on New Year's Eve in Japan and said he would do the fight for "a million" rather than the $9 million Mayweather made for knocking out Nasukawa.

Garcia may have some competition when it comes to facing Nasukawa, as UFC star Conor McGregor tweeted Sunday that he wants to fight Nasukawa in an MMA exhibition this year.

With regard to fighting Nasukawa, Garcia said that they're both 20 years old and added: "He's a rising star in Japan; I'm a rising star over here. We should do it."

Even though Garcia believes he and Nasukawa would be a better matchup than the laugher between Nasukawa and Mayweather, Garcia predicted he would come out on top, saying, "Same result, different round."

Garcia is a California native who is quickly rising up the ranks for Golden Boy Promotions.

He is the NABF and NABO super-featherweight champion, and he owns a perfect professional record of 17-0, including a knockout win over Braulio Rodriguez at Madison Square Garden in New York City in December.

Garcia is in good hands, as he is trained by Eddy Reynoso, who trains boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez.

While Nasukawa took it on the chin against Mayweather, he is still a star in Japan with a 28-0 professional kickboxing record, including 22 knockouts.

Nasukawa would be Garcia's highest-profile opponent, and a fight between them could be a great showcase of the future of their respective sports—although it is unclear what rules such a bout would be contested under.