By Huck Allen: Teddy Atlas sees the powerful Ryan Garcia doing a better job against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis next April than the weaker, smaller Hector Luis Garcia did last Saturday night in Washington, D.C.
Atlas feels that Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) has got to keep the fight at a distance, use his jab, and not allow Gervonta (28-0, 26 KOs) to crowd him to land his big shots.
It’s still too early to know whether the Gervonta vs. Garcia fight will take place in April because it needs to be negotiated. Although the main points were reportedly agreed on, it’s not a sure thing the fight will take place.
If the fight doesn’t happen, boxing fans will be upset because they’re counting on the match taking place.
Tank would then likely go in the direction of Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Vasyl Lomachenko, George Kambosos Jr, and Frank Martin. Those are the biggest names at 135, along with Isaac Cruz and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero.
For being overmatched in the power department, Hector Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs) did an admirable job, but he seemed to get distracted by the altercation that took place in the crowd during the eighth round.
After that incident, Hector lost momentum and was caught with a big shot from Tank at the end of the round, resulting in him losing vision in his right eye. The fight was subsequently halted at the start of the ninth round.
“I’ll tell you the difference in this fight between this Garcia [Ryan] vs. the other Garcia [Hector Luis]. First of all, this Garcia is bigger; he’s stronger. Unlike the last Garcia that Tank just, this Garcia is a big puncher,” said Teddy Atlas to The Fight, in previewing the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight.
“Tank Davis is that power guy. We got it. TNT. Garcia can punch, especially with that counter left hook, and he’s getting bigger. He has gotten bigger. Maybe he’s still filling out. Up until a year ago, he was probably still growing.
“So you got a bigger guy. I don’t know if he matches the power of Tank, but he’s right there. But he probably passes Tank in speed, and in length and in size. He’s bigger, he’s longer, and he’s fast.
“He’s got fast hands, so he’s got those things going, and Tank is no slow guy. But Tank has dealt with all that before. He’s dealt with taller guys. He usually fights taller guys. He’s not a giant as far as that goes.
“So he knows how to take away range, he knows how to close the gaps, and he knows how to even get you to give up your height like he did with Rolly, and to set traps and get you to shrink yourself to come to him.
“So it’ll be a heck of a fight. Garcia will have to control the outside like the other Garcia [Hector] the other night was trying to do. But he’s [Ryan] got a better jab, he’s got a longer jab, he’s got faster hands, he’s got more power.
“He has something to make Tank worry about a little bit, to be a little more respectful of. When he’s closing the gap, he’s had to worry about the power of that left hook [from Ryan].
“That’s important. He has something to keep Tank respectful in those areas. A little mindful in those areas because that’s important. Garcia would have to control the range and make Tank pay a price for real estate.
“You want to close in on me with real estate, then it’s going to cost you three left hooks. Instead of dollars, it’s punches. That’s the currency in the ring, so he’d have to fight that kind of fight. He’d have to fight it all night. There’s no margin for error.
“He’d have to be consistent all night long and keep his concentration all night. Not like the other Garcia [Hector], who was looking out of the ring to see what was going on in the stands. No.
“He would have to be laser pointed focused on Tank Davis all night long and be consistent because one mistake with Tank Davis and the fights over. You could survive it, but the fight could be over.
“So what does Tank Davis have to do? He has to do what he does. He has to close the gaps, use feints sometimes. He’s a smart fighter. He’s got to use all the tricks in the arsenal. Not just the power.
“He’s got to set a trap to get Ryan to go forward and bite on it. He should feint to let him think he’s coming in to make Garcia step out premature and then start to close after him.
“The jab. Just like it was the other night, the jab will be the key for both fighters to control that outside range, the outside distance. The jab would. Ryan Garcia’s jab would have to be snappy; it would have to be hard, it would have to be fast, which it is.
“It would have to control range; it would have to dictate the terms of the fight, of the geography of the fight because the geography would have to be owned by Ryan on the outside. Tank would like to get the geography to be closer.
“The jab would be the key. Tank Davis’ jab isn’t thrown as often, but it’s straight, it’s accurate, and it’s hard, and he can be aggressive with it. That’s what he’d probably try to do. I’m not saying Garcia would be defensive with it, but it would be more along the lines of him marking his territory. Drawing a line in the sand. ‘You’re not going to cross this line.’
“There’s a lot of fights out there that we’d like to see, but we’re probably not going to see them. This one we would love to see this. Hopefully, we will see it. Once we know the fight is going to happen, and with his eight million followers.
“I think Ryan has eight million followers [on Instagram] [correction: nine million] or something like that. Almost as many as you,” said Atlas.