By Dan Ambrose: Showtime head honcho Stephen Espinoza says he’s pleased that there’s only one issue that is left to resolve for the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia mega-fight that can take place on April 15th, which is the rematch clause problem.
Espinoza says this dispute isn’t “insurmountable” in his view. He’s just hoping that this is the only item that Golden Boy has that still needs to be dealt with.
Espinoza says he feels the rematch clause dispute can easily be dealt with, although he’s not saying whether his side would be the one that gives in on this.
Ryan’s promoters at Golden Boy want to be the one that controls the rematch if their fighter wins.
If you’re Tank and Showtime, it’s perhaps not a big deal if they give in on this point because Ryan’s not expected to win the fight, and the odds of him getting the victory are arguably too remote for them to dig in their heels and refuse to give ground.
“We sent a revised draft to them last week and haven’t heard anything. When I read that there’s only one issue left, that’s the first time I’ve heard that. We’re trying to get all the comments. Great, if there’s one issue left, there’s one issue left. If it’s down to one issue, that’s phenomenal news,” said Showtime boss Stephen Espinoza to Chicken Tawk about the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia negotiations.
It’s Super Bowl 🏈 week, and we’re on the 1 yard line looking to score @Gervontaa vs @RyanGarcia ! Let’s hope PBC doesn’t let the fans down and fucken fumble!!
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) February 6, 2023
“No one knows what Golden Boy’s open points are,” Espinoza continued. “Now, I have some disagreements with the way that he’s characterized this about how this has come up and the practice in the industry and whether this has been discussed before or not.
“If this is the last issue, it’s not insurmountable. There’s a lot of different options, and I don’t want to get into specifics and sort of give up leverage and sort of tip our hand.
“Whether that’s a big issue or a little issue, if we’re only talking about one issue, that’s great. One thing that Oscar didn’t is we haven’t gotten any comments from DAZN at all in weeks. So when he says there’s one issue, that means DAZN has no comments, and Golden Boy has no comments.
“That is phenomenal news. That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. I don’t care what that last point is. We literally have one point to discuss. That is great news. I’m going to take him at his word. I haven’t seen anything in writing. If we get something back in writing and there’s 15 open comments, then I’m going to have a lot to say.
“But I’m going to take him at his word. There is one open issue. We’re at the one yard line, and there’s one open issue, that’s it,” said Espinoza about the Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia negotiations.
“Does Tank deserve a mandatory rematch if he loses?”
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) February 7, 2023