By Brian Webber: Ryan Garcia says he will put Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis to sleep on April 22nd in their highly anticipated fight on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)
Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) met with the media on Tuesday for a workout to train and discuss his 136-lb catchweight + 10-lb dehydration clause fight. According to Ryan, Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) will walk into one of his big shots, and it’s going to be “nap time” for him.
It would be a huge victory for Ryan is he could beat Tank and one that would send shockwaves through the boxing world. For Tank, it would be financially beneficial for him because there would be a rematch with Ryan.
If Tank wins, it’s unlikely there will be any rematch unless the fight is close or controversial. Fans won’t want to watch Tank fight Ryan again if he’s victorious because he’s already the favorite.
Tank, 28, is expected to start slowly like he usually does, and that’ll give Ryan a chance to score a fast knockout. In Tank’s fights against Rolly Romero, Hector Garcia, and Mario Barrios, he didn’t get his offense in great until the midpoint of those fights.
If Tank starts slowly against Ryan, there’s an excellent chance that the’s going to get knocked out.
Ryan vows to “destroy” Gervonta
“It’s what I’ve been envisioning for so long now. It’s everything I wanted to beat Gervonta Davis and destroy him and everything he’s worked for because I know he’s trying to do that to me,” said Ryan Garcia to Premier Boxing Champions. “I’m going to take him out. Nap time for Gervonta.
“I’m just going to be focused in the ring. First round, second round, any of the rounds, he can go to sleep. He’s going to have to be careful. That’s what I’ve got to tell him. I don’t think he is. He’s going to walk into one. I’m going to go get him. Either way, I’m going to beat him.
“I’m going to be excited. I’m going to be more excited when I’m there. But for now, my thoughts are to stay focused and do my best in the media workout. Some people are going to say he’s going to win. Some people are going to say I’m going to win, and I’m just going to win.
“Even if you lose, you show them what a champion is in life. You just get right back up and don’t let the negative people that don’t dare to do anything really keep you down because you know where you’re going in life, and you know where that’s taking you.
“So, for me, this is important for everybody in life. It takes courage to go for something that nobody believes you can do. So this is why I’m standing here today, making everybody realize that you go in there and chase a dream like you’ve never chased anything before, and you’ll see something special happen,” said Ryan.
Tank will be conquered
“This is a showing that I’m great fight. I’m not daring. I know I’m great,” Ryan said. “I know when I step in the ring, they’ll feel something they’ve never felt before. I’m just going to conquer him. Everything he tries to do, I’m going to have an answer for him.
“Gervonta is not going to beat me. I promise you that. He’s going nap time with either the right or the left. It doesn’t matter,” said Ryan Garcia, reacting to being reminded that Gervonta said that he only has a left hook.
“I think he’s terrified of the left hook. He hears that in his dreams and starts shaking in his boots. So that’s one trigger that works for him. He doesn’t know that’s a trigger for him, but it is. Left hook.
“I think he probably starts getting amped up when he hears that. Left hook. He gets terrified of that. I think people have lost touch with what boxing is truly about,” said Ryan when told that people feel he can take a punch because Luke Campbell dropped him.
“People will see how a champion reacts after he gets hit. That’s how you determine what a champion is. So people have lost touch with that. It used to be a proud moment where you could show that you could still stay focused in the fight and still get back to controlling it, and even knock somebody out after getting dropped.
“That should have been the testimony of how much of a champion I am truly in my heart. But again, you live in a world where people expect you to be perfect. They don’t understand this is real life; we’re really fighting here. But this is how you respond.
“You respond by getting back up, and you go and do the thing. You show everybody you’re great. Being a great person is not letting those things tear you down.
“Keeping you still and not moving forward; that’s just what people want you to do. That’s what the negativity wants you to do. No, I stand right in front and I keep moving forward and I got to go show people that I’m destined for this,” Ryan said.
Ryan well-prepared
“We’ve had really good sparring for this fight. We had left-handed sparring because Tank is left-handed,” said trainer Joe Goosen to Fight Hub TV about Ryan Garcia’s preparation for his fight with Tank Davis.
“We got a lot of rounds in. We’ve been training for at least four months for this,” Goosen continued. “I don’t think he’s any less fast than he’s always been. He’s always been extremely fast hands, and behind the fast-hands is power.
“He’s got a lot of power. Ryan is very athletic. He’s a very accurate puncher in the gym. He works hard. You don’t have to motivate him to work hard. He’s pretty much a self-starter, and he’s very unique in that way.
“He’ll run for miles, and he’ll train for hours. He’s very dedicated and self-motivated,” said Goosen.
