Ryan Garcia 23-0 (19) says his fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 28-0 (26) really should not have happened but his determination to face the best got the bout over the line.
On Wednesday Garcia and Baltimore’s Davis, 28, kicked of their national press tour in New York City to promote their 136-pound catchweight bout on April 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada at a venue to be determined.
“We’ve come together and conquered the poison that’s stopping boxing from having the biggest fights. It wasn’t easy, but we found a way,” said Garcia, who will be dropping four pounds from junior welterweight for the bout and has a 10-pound rehydration clause built into his contract.
“For me, to be a champion, you have to beat the best. It’s not about the titles, it’s about who you beat. For me, it’s a testimony to the respect I’ve got for him as a fighter. I believe he’s one of the best, and I’ve had that mentality since I was a young kid. I never thought about the weight class, I thought about who was in it. I wanted to be the best.
“I put boxing first and the fans first. I had to accept a lot of stipulations. Going down in weight, a rehydration clause. But I said, ‘If I put myself first, I should say no,’ but my heart don’t let me. I’ve got the character of a champion.
“I don’t look like I hit hard, but I do hit hard. The punches, they just come quick, and when they hit you, you’re down.
“This is the time where the words don’t matter no more. The truth will come out. He’s a great fighter, I’m a great fighter, we’ll settle it in the ring.
“It’s been hard to get top fighters together. Usually it’s too late or somebody’s way past their prime. Boxing has been waiting for this for a while. You really can’t make a bigger fight than this. I feel like this is the moment for both of us. This is a defining moment in our careers, this is legacy. We finally got it, two prime fighters together, going at it. This is the moment for both of us.”
The popular Garcia, 24, from Los Angeles, has built a massive following across his social media channels, but he has warned he is much more than just a pretty face.
“Obviously Tank has the image of a devastating puncher, dangerous, and to me he’s a great fighter,” he said. “Within myself, I know for sure what type of fighter I am. I’ve been doing this since I was seven, over 200 amateur fights. This is what I’ve always wanted. This is it.
“I think (this is) destroying (people) judging the book by its cover. I’m an easy person to target. ‘He’s not serious, he’s doing TikToks,’ whatever, but I wouldn’t be here if that was true. If that was my main focus, I wouldn’t be on this stage. This is the fight right here.”
Negotiations for the bout have been ongoing since last year with many roadblocks along the way that thankfully were all overcome.
“The struggles of making this fight and the things that had to be done, how long it was dragging out, I just didn’t want to put it at risk (by taking a January fight),” Garcia said. “Not for a loss, but you can hurt your hand, headbutts, lot of different issues that could occur. I chose not to, to secure this fight and make sure it was guaranteed. I didn’t wait that long just to mess it up at the finish line.”
Garcia’s trainer Joe Goossen added: “Everyone else has talked about these two men and they’re gonna go down in history, they’re gonna make history. This is an incredible pairing of two guys at this level. You don’t see it too often. You don’t want to miss out on this one. This is one I would plunk down the money for and pay for it. I can’t wait to be a part of it. I can’t wait for that night.”
