“I think Shakur wipes the floor with Ryan,” Crawford said on DAZN. “I don’t think Ryan was able to hit Shakur like Barrios did. Barrios got hit right there. Barrios was too slow and had no game plan. Barrios followed Ryan the whole fight. Shakur is not a fighter who gets hit. It’s simple.”

Crawford’s comment is about translation. Barrios attacks from mid-range, allowing Garcia to gain his footing. He followed him, absorbing the clean counter. Stevenson doesn’t fight like that. He uses his front hand to control range, and after scoring, he steps away and forces his opponent to reach. Against Teofimo Lopez last month, Stevenson won the fight through positioning and timing rather than lengthy exchanges. Crawford thinks this is a bad equation for Garcia.

Garcia currently has a record of 25 wins and 2 losses, with 20 knockouts. He defeated Barrios to win the WBC welterweight championship and immediately named Stevenson. Stevenson agreed to compete on the condition that the actual weight of the fight be 144 pounds. Stevenson is undefeated in 25 fights, including 11 by stoppage, and recently captured the title and WBO junior welterweight title in his divisional debut. Crawford also noted history.

“They were in the ring together as amateurs and Garcia didn’t beat him, so what makes him think he’s going to beat Shakur as a pro?”

Crawford acknowledged that Garcia showed patience and composure against Barrios.

“I was actually surprised by the look of Barrios. I thought he was going to do a little better. Ryan showed he can box a little bit and got the job done in an amazing way,” Crawford said.

Even so, Crawford drew a line between beating Barrios and facing Stevenson.

“I definitely think Ryan is going to have a lot of confidence, but at the same time, it’s different going against a fighter like Shakur. Shakur is different mentally, emotionally, physically.”

The proposed showdown now has public interest, but within Stevenson’s circle, there seems to be little doubt. Crawford doesn’t view this as a 50-50 fight. He believes it’s a style equation, and in his opinion, Garcia’s offense doesn’t solve it.