Ryan Garcia is adamant that he wants to run it back with Gervonta Davis following their fight in 2023.
The cross-promotional affair was a box office and ticket smash, with fans praising both men for putting their undefeated records on the line at a crucial moment in their careers.
It was ‘Tank’ Davis who came out on top clearly, dropping Garcia in the second round before ending the contest for good with a body shot in the seventh.
Garcia has been vocal in the aftermath about the 136lbs catchweight and 10lbs rehydration clause seriously affecting his performance.
Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes the 26-year-old, said he advised against taking the fight with those stipulations. However, speaking on Club Shay Shay, De La Hoya was refreshingly honest in his verdict on a rematch with no such weight clauses. Instead of blindly backing his fighter, he admitted Davis may just be too good.
Does [Ryan] beat Tank if he doesn’t have the rehydration clause? I don’t know. I just do not know. Tank is very skilful, he’s a beast, he knows how to figure you out, but one thing about Tank, which I love and this is why he’s gonna be great, he fights. And when you fight, you’re gonna get hit, and you might get knocked out.
That’s the beauty of Tank – he fights and that’s why they love him. That’s a perfect example. Tank Davis is a star.”
‘Tank’ went on the be elevated to WBA Lightweight World Champion and has since made one defence of his belt – a knockout of Frank Martin. He will put it on the line a second time against Lamont Roach Jr this December.
Garcia moved up to super-lightweight and defeated WBC Champion Devin Haney, although because he came in overweight he was ineligible to win the belt. Things went from bad to worse when it was revealed he had twice tested positive for a banned substance. The result was overturned to a no contest and Garcia has been banned for a year.
