By Sam Volz: Hector Luis Garcia says he knows he’s a better fighter than Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, and he plans on coming away with a win next Saturday, January 7th, when he comes in as an underdog against the unbeaten superstar on Showtime PPV at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The 2016 Olympian Hector (16-0, 10 KOs) and his trainer Bob Santos believe they’ve got what it takes to defeat Tank (27-0, 25 KOs), who hasn’t been tested yet by elite-level competition during his nine-year professional career.
Like a lot of fighters, Tank had been well-protected by his promoters. Up until recently, the 28-year-old Gervonta had been promoted by Mayweather Promotions, and their boss, Floyd Mayweather Jr, wasn’t interested in letting him be tested by the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia, and George Kambosos Jr.
Now that Gervonta is no longer with Mayweather Promotions, he’s spreading his wings and being tested for the first time by Hector Garcia, and there’s no way of knowing how he’ll do.
We know that Tank struggled against pedestrian fighter Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero, and he didn’t look good until knocking out the Mayweather Promotions stable fighter in the sixth. In Tank’s fights with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and Leo Santa Cruz, he had problems dealing with their pressure and boxing skills.
Hector pulled off consecutive upsets in 2022, beating Roger Gutierrez and Chris Colbert. If he can do the same thing against Tank Davis, it would be a fantastic start to 2023 and show the boxing world that Gervonta was never the fighter that people thought he was.
In other words, Tank was a product of careful match-making by his promoter promoters at Mayweather Promotions.
“In the public’s perspective, we’re the underdog. As far as we’re concerned, we feel he’s the most accomplished fighter that Gervonta has ever fought in his prime,” said trainer Bob Santos to Fight Hub TV about his fighter Hector Luis Garcia ahead of next Saturday’s match against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the way everything has gone, and we haven’t changed anything from any other fight in preparing for him.
“The public’s perspective or the oddsmakers, they had us as an underdog against [Chris] Colbert and whatever they had us against [Roger] Gutierrez. His amateur pedigree, his experience, and the things he brings to the table.
“He’s in his prime, and he’ll be the best opponent that Gervonta has fought in his career, that’s for sure. It’s a business, obviously, and they feel they can get the best fight out there for themselves financially, and they’re going to look out for themselves. It’s a financial business.
“I don’t put too much into that. He’s [Tank] has to beat this man in front of him first, and no disrespect to Ryan Garcia. Maybe he’s the next Oscar De La Hoya. I don’t know. Maybe he’s the next Roberto Duran, but as of today, we have one man that made the Olympics [Hector Garcia], and he’s sitting right next to me.
“We have one man that won a title eliminator, and he’s sitting right next to me, and we have a man that has won a world championship. Ryan Garcia has done none of the three.
“So up until this point, this day, this is by far the most credible fighter that Gervonta Davis has ever been in the ring with,” said Santos.
“I would tell Gervonta that he needs to worry about the sure things in life. I’m not a sure thing,” said Hector Garcia. “The fact that he’s fighting Ryan Garcia, I’m not sure if it’s some psychological games or whatever.
“I’m the real Garcia. In the Ryan Garcia-Tank fight, I’m picking Garcia, but right now, Gervonta has to worry about me, the real Garcia,” said Hector.
“To add onto that, we’ve been down this road before,” said Santos. “Chris Colbert, he was getting ready to think he was a coronation by beating him [Hector Garcia] and going right into the [Roger] Gutierrez fight and win his world title.
“That’s why you make the fights, and you win thee fights in the ring. You don’t win the fights in the media, you don’t win the fights on paper. You win the fights in the ring, and that’s what this man is going to be willing to do on January 7th.
“We’ve been nothing but respectful to him [Tank] Davis. I’ve never talked bad about him in the media. I don’t know where that’s coming from. Maybe that’s his team trying to elevate him psychologically.
“I’ve been down this road many times. It will not affect me as his head trainer, and this man here [Hector Garcia] has had 400 amateur fights. He comes from a third-world country, the Dominican Republic, and none of those things will deter this guy from doing what he needs to do,” said Santos.
“The first time we met was at the press conference when we did a face-to-face. That was the first time we met,” said Hector Garcia about Tank Davis. “Even in the face-off, I could tell that he’s working real hard in the gym to get ready for me.”
“The reason I feel confident that we’re going to win the fight is because of all the adversity that he’s gone through,” said Santos about Hector. One, all the adversity that he’s gone through. From his father and his military background, and everything that you have to go through in those countries just to survive.
“You’re fighting for your life every day where he’s from. From that to his amateur pedigree to his experience in the ring, I feel confident that he’s going to be victorious with all those things that he’s going to be able to take from that into the ring that night, and that’s what’s going to lead us to the victory.
“Everything that he’s went through, all of his amateur experience, and that’s what gives me total conference and the way he’s working in the gym right now,” said Santos about Hector Garcia.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to where I am right now, and I’ve paid my dues and come January 7th, I’m going to get the W,” said Hector.
“It’s not that I think I’m better. I know I’m better, and not only that. I’m happy that he gave me the opportunity to face him, and I’m happy that he’s taking these challenges for him to find out how good he is,” Hector said about Gervonta.
“I think Gervonta can fight on many levels. He can fight at mid-range, he can fight on the inside and he can fight on the outside,” said Santos. “I think it’s totally unfounded. Name another 135-pounder that has a better resume than he does.
“He beat Isaac Cruz, and went up to 140 and beat Mario Barrios. He [Barrios] went the distance with Keith Thurman. He stopped Mario Barrios,” said Santos about Tank Davis.
“I don’t know how they’re looking at it from that standpoint. He beat Gamboa, stopped him. Gamboa fought Devin Haney and went the distance with him.
“We obviously know he’s a big puncher, but you’ve still got to land that magnificent punch. This guy [Hector Garcia] has been in the ring and has had 400 amateur fights. He’s seen everything under the sun.
“We’re not overly concerned with it because this guy here can fight on all three levels too. You don’t have 400 amateur fights, you don’t fight in the Pan Am games, and you don’t go to the Olympics.
“He’s been in there with everybody. He’s been in with Devin Haney, he’s been in there with Rolly, and been in there with the big punchers. He’s been in there with Alberto Cuello; he’s been in there with Carlos Adames and different guys in our gym and stuff like that.
“This guy has all the experience, all the tools necessary to win this fight. How it plays out, we don’t know because one punch can change anything in either direction.
“That being said, we feel confident that we’re going to win the fight, and again, he can fight on all three levels too. He can go inside, toe-to-toe, outside, mid-range, whatever it takes to get the W, and that’s what he’s going to be willing to do,” said Santos.
“This is going to be a spectacular fight, it’s going to be a battle, and that’s what we’re waiting to see when it comes to the fight,” said Hector.