Countless opponents stood before Ryan Garcia. With his name ostensibly buzzing since bursting onto the scene, the undefeated lightweight contender had no shortage of options.
Yet, despite having a who’s who of names ready, willing, and able to take him on, Garcia was always enthralled by the idea of facing Gervonta Davis. Officially, much to his delight, Garcia has gotten his wish as the two will slug it out on April 22nd, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although Davis is in possession of the WBA’s secondary crown, his version of a world title won’t be on the line as the two have agreed to meet at a contracted catchweight of 136 pounds.
Beating Davis, as a result, won’t allow Garcia to quench his championship thirst. Be that as it may, for the 24-year-old flamboyant star, a victory over his longtime rival will mean just as much, if not more, than draping his shoulders with gold.
“For me, this is a legacy fight,” said Garcia to BoxingScene.com. “Titles are titles but this is really a world title fight for me.”
Establishing himself as the man to beat and paving his way to superstardom, can only be achieved by making his way through Davis from Garcia’s point of view. Ultimately, Garcia, thanks to his undefeated streak and growing popularity, found himself on the doorstep of challenging for a legitimate world title just a few short years ago.
Devin Haney, before aggregating the rest of the division’s world titles to become an undisputed champion, publicly offered to defend his WBC lightweight crown against Garcia.
However, although Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) was once positioned as Haney’s mandatory challenger, he showed little to no interest in taking him on. Instead, the California product explained that pursuing and scoring a victory against Davis would be the more salient option.
Currently, Garcia’s championship mantle is devoid of any accomplishments. But, in spite of his failure to grab a golden trinket, the loquacious 24-year-old isn’t convinced that winning said title, will accentuate his career and bring him the sort of respect he desperately craves.
“Yes,” said Garcia when asked if he would like to chase more meaningful bouts as opposed to titles. “If there’s a belt attached to it, great. In everything, I look for the truth. I can steal a title somewhere against somebody who just so happens to hold it. But does that really make me a champion? It doesn’t. If you really look for the truth, you’ll find it. And for me, I found the truth with Gervonta Davis. He’s a great fighter and that’s why I believe this is a world title fight.”