‘He looks like a star’: Millions online follow every punch on Garcia’s path to stardom

His Instagram is followed by 9.6 million people. His TikTok by an additional 5.3 million. Then there’s his YouTube channel, stocked with 1.41 million subscribers — and 160 videos that chronicle the bulk of his professional boxing career.

But a loyal fan following didn’t develop the skills lightweight superstar Ryan Garcia is bringing into the ring Saturday against Gervonta Davis at T-Mobile Arena.

His skills developed the loyal fan following.

Even without it, Garcia (23-0, 19 knockouts) would still have the fast hands and hellacious left hook that powered him to 15 national amateur championships — and the pinnacle of his profession as a first-time headliner in Las Vegas.

He’ll battle Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) at a 136-pound catchweight on Showtime pay-per-view via Premier Boxing champions in what figures to be one the most lucrative live gates in the history of Las Vegas.

Garcia’s marketability helps make their fight a megafight that can extend beyond boxing and seep into the conscious of the mainstream.

One picture, video or punch at a time.

“The combination of everything, it’s not something I fathomed too much,” Garcia said Thursday inside MGM Grand’s Ka Theatre after the final press conference of the two-month promotion.

“I just stayed focused on how far I could build it up, and now we’re here.”

Showcasing his skills

He hails from Victorville, California, and began to box when he was 7, not knowing the way the world would change when Twitter, Instagram and TikTok emerged. When they did, he was ready, having fortified his fists under the tutelage of his father, Henry, who remains one of his trainers alongside the esteemed Joe Goossen.

“There’s only one thing I told him,” the elder Garcia recalled. “I said, ‘Always remember this, if you really want to capture the crowd, you have to understand one word: entertain.’”

That Garcia would, utilizing blistering speed and power to overwhelm the majority of his opponents, amateur and professional. As his skills evolved, so too would the reach of his social media amid a steady stream of content that candidly covers his career.

Some of his posts are personal, while others are crafted to showcase his precocious proficiency with various boxing drills.

It’s clear he’s comfortable in front of the camera.

“It’s just came kind of natural. I grew up in a generation where everybody was on social media,” said Garcia, 24, handsome, charismatic and promoted since 2016 by Golden Boy Promotions. “I’m just that type of person when I take on something, I like to see how far it can go.

“So it kind of just evolved into something that became super big, and then I just marinated it with boxing career, and it became something special.”

‘Looks like a star’

Indeed it did, as evidenced last year by Garcia’s casting in the NFL’s annual kickoff commercial. He’s also sponsored by Gatorade, for which he has starred in commercials opposite NBA superstar Damian Lillard.

Premier designers pay Garcia to wear their garb.

Said Goossen earlier in the promotion: “He looks like a star. He carries himself like a star.”

And as all 23 of his previous opponents have learned, Garcia fights like a star, too.

Hence why he’s here opposite Davis, the 28-year-old star southpaw from Baltimore, whom Garcia has wanted to fight for two years — so badly that he accepted a rehydration clause at Davis’ behest that bars him from weighing more than 146 pounds during his secondary weigh-in on the morning of the fight.

But he maintains advantages in height and reach.

In the ring and beyond it.

“This is a dream come true. I’m seeing my face on the big screens at MGM, and this is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little boy. I’m very happy and excited,” Garcia said. “This is the biggest moment in sports right now. It means a lot. The magnitude of this fight is huge.

“Everything is already on the line. I’m just ready to go as deep as I have to. This moment is everything to me. I’ve envisioned this for years, and it’s finally here.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.