By Sam Volz: Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford was angry at Ryan Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya today for him taking a shot at Tank’s team by saying that they don’t believe in him.
De La Hoya claimed that the weight stipulations were put into the contract by Tank’s team to protect their fighter because they lacked confidence in him.
Not only was Ford hopping mad about De La Hoya’s remarks, but also Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbee, who launched into a long rant filled with swear words when he got to the podium today during the final press conference.
De La Hoya’s comment:
“When I look at ‘Tank’s’ team’s action throughout the whole promotion, I am left to wonder, ‘Do they really think this guy is ready?’ Catchweights and rehydration clauses. Late afternoon weigh-ins. All these small, petty requirements point to a team looking to protect their fighter.”
“I feel disrespected as far as the shots that he shot, and they kept going with that same narrative since day one. Then why did you sign the contract?” said coach Calvin Ford to Fight Hub TV about the criticism Oscar De La Hoya leveled at them during today’s final press conference about how Tank Davis’ team lacks confidence in him.
“I only felt it when Oscar was shooting the shots. Ryan didn’t say too much. You saw my energy when it went there. So if you seen my energy standing right there, what do you think on the night of the fight how the energy is going to be?
Ryan quitting on his stool is the goal
“I want him [Ryan] to quit in the corner where they say, ‘It’s enough’ and they throw the towel in, or he say it. If I get Ryan to say it, I’m on the top of my game. I’d rather have him quit because if he quits, that’s even better.
“You got to remember that Tank was sleeping, everybody. He hit one joker [Hector Luis Garcia], and he said, ‘I can’t see.’ He said it. ‘I ain’t going back out there.’
“This one? I don’t believe in knocking him out. I want him to break something. I ain’t even going to tell you that. It’s part of the plan,” said Ford when asked what he wants Gervonta to break on Ryan.
Tank doesn’t get his props
“What I want that night is to hurt him so bad where they say, ‘That’s harsh.’ So the rest of them behind him will think about it,” said Ford. “They don’t give us our props. We don’t want no props. We want to show them that this is boxing, right?
“We don’t know until we get in the ring. We don’t know what kind of energy he’s going to bring. Y’all say he [Ryan] got speed. Y’all say he got power. It’s a difference when you got the same guy with the same thing. This fight? Let it all hang out. We don’t care. Go out on your shield,” said Ford.
“Everything that you criticize us about, y’all see it in the next fight. Am I right or wrong? And he still don’t get his props.
“We got to do the same thing they do. We got to hold our weight until the next day and go weigh in. We can’t go over that 10 lbs. After that, you can do what you want. So what’s the difference?” Ford said about after the secondary weight check at 10:00 am on Saturday.
“People in boxing don’t know that. ‘I can’t drink no water.’ That’s why Tank said, ‘I’ve got no respect for.’ You’re a man of God. Come on, man. We ain’t playing boxing. You’re about to see boxing at it’s finest.
“None of it was true. The only thing that’s true is you’re fighting Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. He ain’t going to pull out. He can’t pull out. Somebody should have given him a memo. That tall guy, Barrio. He should have left Tank alone,” Ford said.
Garcia giving Gervonta energy
“He’s giving us all the energy. We have to do the same thing. All fighters go through that. It’s how well they do it,” said Ford when told that Ryan was licking his lips on stage, looking thirsty & dehydrated during the final press conference today.
“Put the money up,” said Ford, continuing to talk about the purse bet that won’t be happening between Tank and Ryan. “That’s going to be the new thing. If you truly believe, put the money up.
“You hear them talk, but it’s not done. If you want to make boxing great, let’s do something they’re not doing,” Ford said about the purse bet that he wants Ryan to follow through with.
“He [Tank] wants to plant his knuckles in his head. We worked on his defense. They don’t understand why Tank gets hit. It’s a reason why he do that. I don’t know what goes through his mind inside the ring unless I ask questions inside.
“We understand with the talk in boxing that Ryan has got power. We want to see if he has power.
“Ryan is going to take that and go to another level. He’s going to become a great actor. We’re going to see him on some nice shows. Some nice commercials. They’re scripting it, man.
“How many commercials have you seen him in? He’s got the baddest clothing design. They’re prepping him right now. It’s the biggest stage. They’re saying, ‘Tank is a fighter. Let him be a fighter. I’m going to be a star. I’m going to be an actor star.’
“Me, I only worry about things inside the ring. It’s a fight,” said Ford.
Ryan Garcia wants to fulfill his destiny
“No matter what they throw at me, no matter what they say about me, no matter all the things they try to bring me down, they dry to break me by saying I faked mental health issues, by saying I’m an Instagram fighter, saying I have no skills, saying I’m not a complete fighter,” said Ryan Garcia to The Road to The Ring.
“All this stuff was a plot to distract me from becoming the person I’m destined to be, and it’s up to me on April 22nd to prove them all wrong. I need to fulfill my destiny. I’ll see you guys on April 22nd, and you’ll see the most glorious moment in that ring,” said Ryan.
