By Chris Williams: Oscar De La Hoya sent a message of praise to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on Sunday in letting him know that he did an outstanding job of knocking out 130-pound world champion Leo Santa Cruz in the sixth round last Saturday. De La Hoya, who promotes Ryan Garcia, is eyeing a fight between them in 2021.
Tank’s win over Santa Cruz was a highlight reel KO which will surely be the knockout of the year for 2020. The way that Davis won the fight will further cement him as a pay-per-view star moving forward for Showtime.
King Ryan Garcia ready to face Tank in 2021
Ryan, 22, is already talking up the fight with Davis, 25, even though he still has unfinished business next month against Luke Campbell on December 5th.
Ryan Garcia must beat Campbell first
Should the Golden Boy promoted King Ryan beat Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) in an emphatic fashion, the next step would be for him to take on Gervonta Davis in the first quarter of 2021.
Tank (24-0, 23 KOs) kept his perfect record intact in picking up his young seven-year pro career’s biggest victory with his one-punch knockout of WBA super-featherweight champion Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Santa Cruz, 32, gave it a good fight in throwing a lot of punches, and not showing any fear of Tank as others had.
Congratulations @Gervontaa you showed class power and patience. What a vicious left uppercut perfectly executed. @leosantacruz2 your always a wonderful champion in my book.
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) November 1, 2020
“Ryan vs. Haney or Davis? Yeah, in the future. One thing about me, I love making all the fights and fighting all the best. I seriously feel that Ryan Garcia wants that as well,” said De La Hoya.
We’ll have to see if De La Hoya tries to block his popular fighter Ryan Garcia from facing Tank. Oscar’s comment about wanting to make the Davis-Garcia fight “in the future” could be interpreted as code for him not interested in letting Ryan face the knockout artist Davis right now.
It’s perfectly understandable why De La Hoya wouldn’t want to let Ryan take on the unbeaten Gervonta because he’s trying to develop him into a huge mega-star, and the next pay-per-view attraction.
With the future uncertain about whether Canelo Alvarez will remain with Golden Boy Promotions after his lawsuit ends, the importance of De La Hoya turning Ryan into a pay-per-view attraction is even more crucial.
Davis needs the Garcia fight
The next logical step for Tank Davis is to face Ryan Garcia in early next year and promote it to the hilt. Davis vs. King Ryan would be a dual-platform event with DAZN and Showtime, both likely showing the fight.
Should De La Hoya take the chance to let Ryan face Tank right now? It would be a huge risk on Golden Boy’s part to give Ryan the green light to take that fight, but it would have a massive payoff for them if he beats Tank.
Saying no to Ryan about facing Tank could burn bridges with the young star, making him bitter if he doesn’t get his way. That’s the last thing Golden Boy needs. Golden Boy must keep King Ryan happy, and the best way of doing that is to let him take the gamble against Tank Davis in early 2021.
A night to remember 💯 @Gervontaa x @FloydMayweather #DavisSantaCruz pic.twitter.com/PEw7lbOBsd
— Mayweather Promotions (@MayweatherPromo) November 1, 2020