By Jim Calfa: Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe put Ryan Garcia Devin Haney and promoter Eddie Hearn on blast following WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ harder than expected win over Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz last Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Ellerbe said Tank Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) would make easy work of unbeaten, highly ranked lightweight contender King Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) when or if that fight happens.
With that said, Ellerbe says Ryan, 23, will have to get back in the ring and take a tune-up before Gervonta potentially fights him.
As for WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney (27-0, 15 KOs), who is coming off an impressive 12 round unanimous decision win over Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. last Saturday night, Ellerbe says he won’t make the same kind of money fighting Tank because he needs to bring “value” to the table.
In other words, Haney’s chances of getting a fight against Gervonta are virtually zero as things stand right now. That doesn’t mean that the 23-year-old Haney won’t get a chance to fight Tank Davis in the future, but right now, it’s not looking good.
Ellerbe: Tank will run Ryan Garcia’s a** out the ring
“Oh, he’s doing that again? What Ryan Garcia needs to do, in my opinion, is go get you a fight with all this talking you’re doing and get your a** in the ring,” said Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe to Secondsout in reacting to King Ryan Garcia calling out Tank Davis last Sunday night.
“Don’t talk about it. Get your a** in the ring,” Ellerbe said about Ryan. “Get him a tune-up fight, which I’m sure they’re [Golden Boy Promotions] going to put him in the ring at some point, and then we’ll see what he’s going to do.
“I guarantee you that he won’t get in the ring with Tank Davis. Tank will run his a** out the ring! Trust and believe that. He will run his a** out the ring.
Listen, Tank will beat any lightweight out there, any of those guys. You name them; he can beat them,” said Ellerbe when asked about Tank possibly fighting Devin Haney, the WBC lightweight champion.
“That goes for Ryan Garcia. Tank will beat them all. We have no problems fighting any of these guys. What’s really happening? You just mentioned Haney, for example,” Ellerbe said.
Mayweather Promotions and Ellerbe need to understand by choosing to dismiss all the top lightweights like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, and Vasily Lomachenko as potential opponents for Tank; they’re STUNTING his career and hurting his earnings.
Tank can make a lot more money fighting them than he can against little-known Pitbull Cruz, Mario Barrios, 40-year-old Yuriorkis Gamboa, and an over-the-hill Leo Santa Cruz.
Devin Haney doesn’t bring value
“Devin Haney makes a lot of money, and I’m proud of him for that. I’m proud of his dad [Bill Haney], and I’m proud of him.
“He’s an excellent boxer and a good businessman too, but would we pay him the kind of money that he’s making? Absolutely NOT, and I’m just being totally honest,” Ellerbe said in making it clear that Haney’s chances of fighting Tank Davis are virtually nonexistent.
“It has nothing to do with him as a fighter because, again, you have to bring VALUE to the table. It has nothing to do with boxing skills, or they are smart. We’re talking about value.
“When I say that, ‘Oh, you’re just thinking about,’ but when [Top Rank promoter Bob] Arum say, ‘I’m not paying him [Haney] no X.’ Why did Arum say that?
“Because he’s been in the business 50 or 70 years or whatever snd he knows the economics of the situation and where the revenue comes from. He’s a smart guy,” Ellerbe said.
Ellerbe WARNS Eddie Hearn
“I’m not going to allow him to disrespect me,” said Ellerbe about Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. “I guarantee you, if he comes within ten feet of me, I’ll smack the s*** out of him in front of EVERYBODY, and I mean that.
“I’m not going to play those games. That man [Eddie Hearn] just needs to mind his business and keep my name out of his f***** mouth and do his job, and we’re good.
“Listen, if he says something disrespectful to me, I will smack the s*** out of him, period!” said Ellerbe.