Ryan Garcia on showdown with Gervonta Davis: 'I am going to knock Tank out'
Let the trash talk begin.
Ryan Garcia wasted no time predicting what will happen when he meets rival Gervonta Davis in the spring in Las Vegas, assuming both fighters win interim fights and Davis overcomes legal issues.
Garcia is excited to be part of the event. And he couldn’t have more confidence.
“This is the fight I want and this is the fight boxing needs,” he said. “The hype, the storylines, the two athletes defining their sport inside the ring and out. I am going to knock Tank out and take my place as the face of our incredible sport, and I’m bringing a new generation of boxing fans with me.
“I appreciate Tank volunteering to get beat so that I can get to work.”
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) intend to meet in a non-title bout at a catch weight of 136 pounds, reportedly in April, if Davis defeats 130-pound titleholder Hector Garcia on Jan. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. and Garcia wins a fight that has yet to be announced.
Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing hot prospect Chris Colbert in February and following that by taking Roger Gutierrez’s WBA belt by a one-sided decision in August.
However, moving up in weight to face a fighter of Davis’ ability will be a daunting challenge for the 31-year-old Dominican.
Davis also is scheduled to be tried on Dec. 12 for an alleged hit-and-run incident in November 2020.
The 28-year-old from Baltimore is a former two-time 130-pound titleholder who also won secondary titles at 135 and 140, going 5-0 (5 KOs) in championship fights. He gave up all of his belts.
He’s coming off a sixth-round knockout of Rolando Romero at 135 this past May. That followed a unanimous decision over stubborn Isaac Cruz in December, a bout in which Davis said he fought with an injured hand.
Garcia, 24, took a break from boxing last year to deal with his mental health but returned to defeat Emmanuel Tagoe (UD) and formidable Javier Fortuna (KO 6) in April and July in 140-pound bouts, respectively.
The Los Angeles-area fighter’s biggest victory came in January of last year, when he knocked out 2012 Olympic champion Luke Campbell in seven round at 135.