By Jim Calfa: Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya looked amped up today at the grand arrivals for Saturday’s mega-money non-title fight between the favorite Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Ryan Garcia on April 22nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
De La Hoya looked more energized than his fighter Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) today, but that’s understandable. Ryan, 24, still needs to make the 136-lb catchweight, so he’s probably not 100% at this time.
Once Ryan weighs in on Friday and rehydrates a bit, he should be ready to give it his all against Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) on Saturday.
Ryan has been campaigning for this fight against Tank for the last two years, and he had to bend over backward to get the fight by agreeing to weight stipulations.
It could be worth it for Ryan if he wins on Saturday night because he’ll be the first one to defeat Tank Davis. Also, it would likely mean the two will meet for a rematch later this year, depending on how eager Tank is to do it a second time.
“It’s the fight of the year. It’s the best vs. the best. You got two young guys, two undefeated guys who really want to win, so we’re going to see who wins on Saturday night. It’s going to be a good fight, a really good fight,” said promoter Oscar De La Hoya during today’s grand arrivals in Las Vegas for the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight on Showtime PPV.
Ideally, Saturday’s Tank vs. Ryan contests will be ‘Fight of the year,’ but that might be wishful thinking on De La Hoy’s part. If Tank obliterates Ryan, as many predict, the fight would far short of best of the year.
“It’s all about conserving your energy now,” said De La Hoya. “Mentally and physically, it’s all about conserving the energy that you have and just unleashing it on Saturday night because it can get very emotional. I’ve been through these many times, plenty of times.
“It can get emotional, it can get draining. So you’ve got to stay focused from the first bell to the last bell, you have to stay focused until you win the fight.
“I love Gervonta, but let’s go, Ryan! I got Ryan by knockout. I don’t know, but it’s going to end by knockout,” said De La Hoya.
