Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Rehydration clause mars otherwise wonderful matchup
The rehydration clause in the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia contract might not be a factor in the fight Saturday in Las Vegas.
That’s how Joe Goossen sees it. Garcia’s Hall of Fame trainer believes the limit of 10 pounds the 24-year-old will be allowed to gain between the weigh-in Friday afternoon and the morning of the fight will have no adverse effects on his protege.
The fighters agreed to a catch weight of 136 pounds, one more than the lightweight limit, even though Garcia has fought at 140 in his last two fights.
“Ten pounds? That’s plenty of weight to put on,” Goossen told me and Kenneth Bouhairie on The PBC Podcast. “36 to 46? That’s a beautiful thing. And after 10 o’clock [on Saturday] he can eat and drink more.
“… So where’s the problem? There’s no problem.”
I couldn’t have more respect for Goossen but I’m not 100% convinced.
The reason weigh-ins were moved from the day of the fight to the day before isn’t complicated. Fighters drain themselves of liquids and important nutrients in an effort to shed weight during their training camps. They need time to replenish.
Garcia will have time but he’ll also have to limit his intake until after his second weigh-in on Saturday morning, as per his deal with Davis. Maybe that won’t be a problem for him, maybe it will.
The point is that all fighters should be allowed to replenish naturally, without restrictions, to give them the best opportunity to enter the ring at full capacity. Otherwise, they’re gambling unnecessarily with their health and ability to perform.
Some would defend Davis by pointing out that fighters who gain an inordinate amount of weight between the weigh-in and fight put the opponent at undue risk.
I always think of the Arturo Gatti-Joey Gamache fight in 2000, for which Gatti gained an unfathomable 19 pounds for a 140-pound matchup and outweighed Gamache by 15 at fight time. No surprise: Gatti scored a particularly brutal knockout.
That’s a fair argument but I believe the opportunity to replenish without restrictions is more important than potential weight gain. After all, all fighters add weight and a disparity comparable to Gatti-Gamache isn’t common.
In the case of Davis-Garcia, the 136-pound catchweight already gives Davis an edge. To add a second advantage – the rehydration clause – strikes me as unfair.
Plus, it makes Davis look bad. If he’s as great as he and many others believe he is, why does he need to handicap Garcia?
Instead, he could’ve followed the lead of Canelo Alvarez. The 168-pound champion is determined to fight Dmitry Bivol at 175 in their rematch because he wants to prove he can climb that mountain without the help of unreasonable restraints on the light heavyweight champ.
A Davis victory would mean more to me without the catch weight and rehydration clause, particularly because Davis has already fought – and won – at 140 pounds. That’s not strange territory for him.
I don’t want to be too hard on Davis. Rehydration limits are common in boxing for the reason stated above; officials don’t want another Gatti-Gamache.
And this column might turn out to be much ado about nothing. Goossen might be right. He spends all day every day with Garcia; he knows his fighter. Let’s hope that’s the case. Ideally both fighters will be at 100% when they step through the ropes.
However, if Garcia performs poorly, if he fades late in the fight, I’ll wonder whether the rehydration restrictions will have played a role. That detracts from an otherwise wonderful matchup.