Ryan Garcia broke away from his normally loquacious behavior. With the usually talkative California native zipping his lips while negotiations with Gervonta Davis took place, he was ultimately delighted when he secured their mega showdown.
At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 22nd, the two will officially square off in the main event slot. Initially, news of their bout taking place at a catchweight of 136 pounds was believed to be the only weight stipulation. However, during their first presser, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) revealed that in addition to having to make 136 pounds, team Davis placed a 10-pound rehydration clause in their deal.
Although Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) has been openly criticized for placing that aforementioned 10-pound rehydration clause in their contract, the former multi-divisional star is bemused as to why he’s being chastised. From his point of view, considering Garcia’s physical dimensions, he did nothing wrong.
“He’s a bigger fighter and he’s only growing,” said Davis to a group of reporters. “He’s coming from like 170, 180. Why would I not have a rehydration clause in there? So he can blow back up to 150, 160 around the time we fight? No. I’m not dumb.”
Garcia, who will enjoy a five-inch height and roughly a three-inch reach advantage, moved away from the lightweight division following his victory over Luke Campbell in 2021. Most recently, the 24-year-old star starched former titlist, Javier Fortuna, stopping him in the sixth round of their super lightweight clash in July of 2022.
Davis, on the other hand, has spent the majority of his career competing in lower weight classes, although he did have one successful trip above 135 pounds in 2021, stopping Mario Barrios in the 11th round.
With Davis’ critics using this 10-pound rehydration clause to fire shots in his direction, the Baltimore native is paying them little to no mind. Simply put, Davis believes that his detractors are attempting to use any angle they can to see him come up short on fight night.
“People want you to be a dumbass. That’s not smart.”