By Adam Baskin: Ryan Garcia is making Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis look bad this week, talking about how he forced the weight stipulations on him for their April 22nd fight.
It’s not playing out well at all for Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) and his management, making them look like they needed a handicap to win. To get the fight with Tank, Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) agreed to these two weight stipulations in addition to taking the smaller money:
- 10-lb rehydration clause – 146-lbs max
- 136-lb catchweight
With those two weight stipulations, there’s a strong possibility that Ryan will be weakened for the fight, giving Tank a better chance of winning their Showtime PPV fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This means that if Tank wins, fans won’t give him full credit because they won’t know if it was because Ryan was weakened.
Ryan Garcia: The world sees this coward
“Everybody thinks this guy is going to be able to beat me. I’m the underdog, but this is what defines you as a champion,” said Ryan Garcia to Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk about his fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on April 22nd.
“I’m willing to risk it all going into the ring. There’s nothing more I’m thinking about. I want this more than anything in my entire life. I don’t know if he feels the same way.
“When I hear him talking in interviews, ‘I can’t fight him at 140.’ He’s not ready to give everything. I’m here for a purpose, so I’m willing to give everything. I’m comfortable what will happen in that ring, but he’s not.
https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia/status/1638340189482553346?s=20
https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia/status/1638344898922545153?s=20
“When I see him, he doesn’t even know how to react in front of me,” Ryan continued about Tank Davis. “He can’t because he feels what I’m ready for. Because that’s what I knock people out with,” said Ryan when asked why Tank always says that he only hs a left hook.
“I just hit them, and they go to sleep, but I got a right hand for him. We’re going to play that clip when I hit him with that right. ‘Your right hand ain’t s**t.’ He’s going to get dropped.
“Gervonta, if you look at his last few fights, he obviously starts out slow. He moves around the ring, tries to get a read of his opponent, and tries to see what their power is like.
Just business bro, when you get you a team like Tank then you can call the shots too. Ask your promoter what that feels like, he can tell you all about it. See you soon💪🏾 https://t.co/4XYqnw0NNg
— Leonard Ellerbe (@LEllerbe) March 22, 2023
Lol bro, I sent 2 offers to your promoter, does that sound like somebody not wanting to fight? Check with your promoter, we got the receipts. Bottom line is you going to get exactly what you want on 22 Apr. Tank clipping you in front of the entire world! https://t.co/OBojMzqnNq
— Leonard Ellerbe (@LEllerbe) March 22, 2023
“Then later on, he tries to put the pressure on, comes forward and tries to counter you because you’re a little more worn out, so your punches are going to come as fast so he can better time you.
“I think what his mistake is here is I’m not going to wear out, and I’m going to get stronger as the rounds go. He hasn’t fought an elite fighter where they were in condition, and they hit hard. So he’s not going to be able to walk in my punches.
“I don’t care who you are. You can’t just walk in and keep talking them and think you’re going to be okay at the end of the round. You get hit, and you’re going to feel it,” said Garcia.
Ryan predicts knockout of Tank
“For me, it’s going to be a more strategic fight for both ends because once he feels a shot from mine and if he survives it, he’s going to want to take a lap. If he wants to play chess, we can play chess.
“It could be Devin Haney [next]. He could have a marquee win against Lomachenko. That’s a big fight now. Boxing has always been like that. Mega-fights are hard to come by.
“Me and Gervonta, we’re doing it right now, which is wild. It’s like two superheroes at their peak powers going at it. I’ve spent hours thinking about it, and watched countless tapes.
“I believe deep down in my soul is I’m going to knock him out, and it’s going to be quick. I don’t have any doubts. I just know I got to put in the work. If I do all the work I have to do, he’s done. He’s going to get knocked out.
https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia/status/1638338829110374401?s=20
“There’s no way this fight is ending with him not getting knocked out and I’m ready for anything. So he’s really going to have to lay me out to get me off him.
“He has to because there’s no other way. I’m not giving him no breaks like these other fighters because he’s big right now. We’ve seen that Showtime story. He’s big, my guy. He has more weight to lose than me.
“I ain’t playing with you. I’ve been focused for a long time. You ain’t been focused like me. I guarantee. You don’t come in a promotion like that. He’s too big. I thought he was pregnant. I thought he was giving birth.
“I never talk like that at press conferences because no one is every talking s**t. When we started this press conference late, the energy was different. He came in hot.
“He thought he was going to put his fist on my chin. I put mine on his, and you see how emotional he got? He smacked my hand down. So it was okay. I’m in my element. It was nothing,” said Ryan Garcia.
