By Brian Webber: Oscar De La Hoya says the plan for Ryan Garcia is to bring him back in August with “the right opponent” to rebuild him following his loss to Gervonta Davis last weekend.
De La Hoya isn’t giving any hints about who Ryan (23-1, 19 KOs) will b fighting in his next contest in August, but it’s likely that he’ll choose a non-puncher that isn’t known for body punching.
Now that Tank Davis has created the blueprint on how to beat Ryan by attacking his body, it’s predictable that everyone he faces moving forward will attack him downstairs to try and duplicate his success.
It’s not going to be easy for De La Hoya to rebuild Ryan because he looked vulnerable each time he took a headshot. Before fighting Tank, Ryan had been hurt by Luke Campbell, and he’s not a big puncher, he was able to drop him.
If Ryan can’t take a head or body shot without going down, he’s not going to go far in the 140-lb weight class.
“I’m really excited and proud that Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis proved that they’re pay-per-view stars,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fighthype.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing him back in August. That soon. Take a couple of weeks off, not a couple of months, and get right back to it. I see in Ryan Garcia that he does want to be a legend. He does want to be a world champion.
“So he’s hungry, he’s motivated. This is what he loves to do. It’s going to be fun to get him back with the right opponent,” said De La Hoya about Ryan.
“It’s amazing that doing over a million homes, it’s almost unheard of and it’s humbling once again for Golden Boy to be a part of record-breaking numbers, and that’s what we do.
“So we’re very glad that first of all, Ryan knew that he was doing great and he got caught with a body shot. It happens. Gervonta Davis fought a great, amazing fight and on to the next.
“I think our plans for Ryan Garcia are great plans that will get him back to the top. Ryan Garcia will continue to get better, to learn from mistakes. That’s what boxing is all about. You win some, you lose some, but as long as you continue to grow from it, you can become a better fighter.
“The advice would be [for Ryan] is your as good as your last fight. That’s the bottom line. So as long as you get a win in the next fight everything is erased. That’s the way boxing is.
“This was no easy fight for both guys. It was a great match-up. There’s no shame in fighting the very best and giving a great performance, and if you lose, you lose. You shake it off and move on to the next. That’s what fighters have to understand.
“If you give it your all and fight hard, it’s okay. You’re going to lose, and you’re going to win when you’re fighting the very best. That’s what fighting the very best is all about,” said De La Hoya.
