By Allan Fox: Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’s coach Calvin Ford says he’d be interested in training Ryan Garcia if he wants to work with him.
You can argue that this is the best time for Coach Ford to try and entice Ryan Garcia to let him train him. Catching Ryan at his moment of weakness after his loss, Ford could lure him away like the pied piper of Hamelin to make more money teaching him and Tank.
It’s the ideal time to take advantage of Ryan while he’s confused, not thinking straight, and vulnerable to being led away from his trainer Joe Goosen & snatched up by Ford. It would be like netting a big fish.
Who knows? If Ryan were to start training with Ford, it could lead to a stampede of high-profile fighters coming to his gym, begging to be trained by him as well.
It would be like Freddie Roach getting a lot of talented fighters wanting to be trained by him due to him coaching Manny Pacquiao. Having a famous fighter in your gym is a great recruitment tool.
It would be strange for Ryan to start training alongside Tank Davis with coach Ford, and it wouldn’t be guaranteed to pay off. We saw how Oscar De La Hoya began training with Floyd Mayweather Sr after his loss to junior, and he didn’t benefit.
Ryan needs the most help in the chin department, which Ford can’t do anything to fix. Likewise, Ford won’t improve Ryan’s ability to take punches to the body. These are problems that won’t go away no matter who trains Ryan.
Ryan (23-1, 19 KOs) hasn’t said anything about firing his current trainer, Joe Goosen, but some boxing fans believe he should go in that direction.
Kingry looked lost inside the ring, going straight into the teeth of Gervonta’s offense rather than playing it safe by staying on the outside and using his head & reach.
Coach Ford ready to train Ryan Garcia
“Listen to me real good. I would take him with open arms because what he demonstrated to me that day. What he did was take the fight. That’s a fighter,” said Calvin Ford to Fight Hub TV about his interest in training Ryan Garcia.
“He’s been asking for this fight when he first came on the scene. I can work with that because it’s showing me true heart,” Ford continued about Ryan. “Regardless of what people say about him.
“Ryan always wanted to be close to Tank, and if Tank likes you, he’ll talk to you and hang out with you. We just got to wait and see what that phone number do,” said Ford about Gervonta giving his phone number to Ryan after the fight.
“I go back and watch old videos of him asking for this fight when his own promoter [Oscar De La Hoya] said he wasn’t ready, and it took them many years to get to this point to be something great. That’s amazing. So that says a lot about him.
Ford slams Ryan’s promoter for no-show
“I was aware of it, and it was sad to me, but his mom and his dad was there, and they’ve been there since day one,” said Ford when asked about his thoughts on Ryan’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya not showing up for the post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
“I love his family. I love Ryan. He’s a class act. As far as De La Hoya. You made a comment that we don’t believe in Tank. Where was we at? We were sitting on the [stage]. So that shows their true colors. They [De La Hoya & Bernard Hopkins] weren’t there for this kid, and he believed in them.
“Oscar said he was having death threats. Okay, if that was going on, then I know it was going on during the whole ordeal. I had a lot of stuff come at me. I’d rather die. I just think they should have been there, regardless.
“We see fighters have a bad night and don’t do the interviews and whatnot. Have that same energy when you win and that same energy when you lose,” said Ford.
