He screamed, shouted, and of course, fought his way into one of the biggest fights of the year. However, Ryan Garcia knows good and well that a gargantuan task now stands before him.
On April 22nd, in front of what’s expected to be a jam-packed crowd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) will place his unblemished record on the line when he takes on fellow unbeaten star, Gervonta Davis.
Following years of fulminating, their smoldering feud came to a crescendo, leading the pair to the negotiating table and ultimately, in just over a month, the squared circle.
Their showdown, after refusing to acquiesce to Garcia’s weight demands, will take place at a catchweight of 136 pounds. Before accepting to make his way back down in weight, Garcia began to mark his territory one division higher.
Nevertheless, despite stopping Javier Fortuna dead in his tracks in his previous outing, Garcia continued to goad Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) into fighting him. Mission accomplished.
At any rate, Garcia’s overwhelming amount of self-belief is being shared by everyone around him, including his longtime promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. Although the former six-division belt holder is standing firmly in the corner of his fighter, he admits that it would be mendacious on his part if he didn’t acknowledge the dangers that Davis will bring to the table.
As De La Hoya takes an inquisitive look around the lightweight landscape, he can’t help but notice the division’s budding stars. Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and countless others, while great in their own right, pale in comparison, however, to Davis and his all-around skills.
“Tank is the guy,” said De La Hoya to BoxingScene.com during their recent press conference. “Tank is the guy. There’s no doubt about it. Tank’s the guy.”