Boxing
Ryan Garcia: Gervonta Davis, other star lightweights need me whether they like it or not
The excitement of the lightweight division over the last year or two has fans clamouring for a 2021 full of mouthwatering megafights — but Ryan Garcia does not think Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis has any interest in that.
Davis, who competes under the tutelage of undefeated great Floyd Mayweather Jr., was last in action with an emphatic Halloween night knockout of Leo Santa Cruz.
Garcia, whose Dec. 5 fight against Luke Campbell has been delayed after Campbell's positive COVID-19 test, caught the eye with his enthusiastic reactions to the finish on social media.
And he told DAZN’s Chris Mannix, this was because unlike Davis, he wants his divisional rivals such as Tank and Teofimo Lopez Jr. to thrive and make their eventual meetings with the 22-year-old even more exciting.
“I’m very competitive,” he told Mannix. “I wanna face the best and I love it when my competition does something amazing.
“I was very excited when Gervonta KO'd Santa Cruz with that uppercut — that telegraphed uppercut. It gets my juices flowing and that’s why I tweet about it because it’s all entertainment. It’s all part of the show.
“When that fight does happen, more people are gonna want to watch. I want to give that to my fans.”
When Mannix pressed Garcia on his flippant reference to Davis’ sixth-round finish on the former four-weight world champion, he explained: “He was literally showing him the uppercut the whole fight.
“I don’t know why Santa Cruz didn’t adjust. If I get hit with a good shot, I’m gonna make sure my opponent cannot land that shot again.”
But as much as Garcia respects what Davis brings to the table, he does not think much of his repeated claims to be the ‘A-side’ if they ever fought, only to show little enthusiasm to actually make it happen.
“They need me,” continued Garcia. “Whether they like it or not, they all need to fight me if they wanna get to a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather type of fight.
“They can say they are the A-side but if you look at my numbers, they’re way better.
“My numbers are so far past Tank’s numbers and he gets loved by everybody! I’m ahead of him.
“I’m calling him out not because I need him but because it’s the biggest fight available.
“I like Gervonta, there’s a specialness about him. I give credit where credit’s due. He does amazing things.
“He’s fighting the fighters he knows he can beat, with no threat there. Against Tank I wouldn’t be the favourite for the first time. I live for that. I’m trying to shock the world. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Garcia very much believes that Mayweather is trying to guide Davis along the exact same path of image-orientated, carefully-selected fights that the self-proclaimed ‘Best Ever’ was himself often accused of doing throughout his 50-0 career.
“Floyd’s all about money, low risk, high reward,” continued Garcia. “I’m not mad about that. That’s what Tank’s gonna do.
“If I look amazing against Campbell and beat him like I expect to beat him, he won’t fight me.
“If I show vulnerability, he might take the fight. But I don’t care about that or [about perfect records].”
