Garcia: Tank acts tough but when things actually get tough he takes the easy way out
Ryan Garcia says he’s keeping the same energy he’s had online with Gervonta Davis and won’t let him get under his skin.
Immediately following today’s opening press conference which formally announced a fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, Garcia stay to chat with reporters to give his impression on what we saw on stage and why he’s keeping everything level as he heads into this big showdown.
Garcia on finally getting a Tank fight across the line
“I had to push the fight. Gervonta, it was originally scheduled for December and I guess he didn’t want to fight on his birthday or something along those lines. And they even wouldn’t let me fight in October because they said if I fight in October, I won’t fight him in December. So there was a lot of stipulations I had to sacrifice, not for myself but for boxing, for the fans. I really wanted to do something for them. I could’ve said no very easily. Like I said, I pushed for this fight, it’s here, enough said.”
Garcia on if Tank isn’t taking him seriously by showing up late to the press conference
“I don’t know. I don’t think that’s going to play a part into his mindset going in. He’s probably training and stuff. He’s just — could be a bit of a power trip, could be that’s just how he does things, and it’s not going to change my character or my integrity. I got respect for the people that came, took the time out of their day. You know, people got things to do. So, for me, I’m just going to stay true to myself. I’m a professional and I’ll get here on time.”
On having a similar build to Mario Barrios and Tank having experience taking on that kind of fighter and scoring the KO
“Mario Barrios was actually doing quite well in the fight...Gervonta was staying out of range but he wasn’t winning the rounds. He wasn’t getting touched as much, but you were losing. What makes you a great fighter in the ring is to understand what they’re setting up or what they’re trying to go for. You got to catch on to that early.
“Obviously Gervonta before he dropped Mario Barrios, Mario didn’t make the adjustment to nip it in the bud, when he was trying to apply that pressure on him and wear his armor down. And then when Mario Barrios got a little exhausted from that attempt, he left his hand out there and Gervonta jumped a hook on it.
“See, you got to be aware of that because you know what he’s doing before that is to set up that shot. So these are things that make you a great fighter. Yeah, I’m the same size as Mario Barrios, maybe same weight, but I’m not the same fighter.”
On if he thinks he can truly test Tank’s chin
“Yeah, I promise if I get that shot on him, land on his temple, he’s not going to be trying to walk me down. He’s going to have to recover and show who he really is as a champion. One thing you notice is that he likes to portray himself as tough, but when things get tough he takes the easy way out.
It’s hard to make weight, he misses weight. He feels rushed, he don’t come on time. He feels I’m strong at 140 so he wants me to go to 136. You understand, when things get tough is he actually tough? Because that doesn’t show as characteristics of a champion or somebody that’s tough.”