Mike CoppingerESPN
Even though Ryan Garcia looked better than ever with a sixth-round KO of Javier Fortuna on Saturday in Los Angeles, it looks like we’re further away from a super fight against Gervonta Davis. The impressive performance — knockouts in rounds 4, 5 and 6 — was Garcia’s second straight fight at 140 pounds after campaigning at 135, where Davis still resides. “Tank” Davis did fight at junior middleweight once, a TKO of Mario Barrios in June 2021, but the weight difference looks like another key in the spotlight for any effort to complete a Garcia-Davis deal. “I’m never going back to 135, I’m going to stay at 140, I’ll fight ‘Tank’ Davis if he wants to at 140,” Garcia, 23, said. “And if he doesn’t, then I’m going to fight at 140 pounds. But he will want to do it… there will be riots if he doesn’t want to do it. “I know I’m committed to it and I’ve told everybody that’s where my heart is and I’m not going to waver on anybody.” It’s clear that Garcia genuinely wants to meet Davis in the ring, but it’s less certain how Davis feels about fighting a bigger man at a higher weight — Garcia is 5-foot-10, Davis is 5-foot-1. Davis tweeted afterward that he was ready for the fight. See you at the end of the year..#TheONE — Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) July 17, 2022 Weight is just one of the many obstacles in the long-awaited fight. Garcia has repeatedly said this week that he would not allow the politics of boxing – he is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions while Davis is with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) – to prevent a deal being reached. This is easier said than done. So those are two obstacles to the potential super match and the biggest obstacle of all: competing networks. Garcia fights exclusively on DAZN, while “Tank” competes on Showtime. This same issue held up a potential middleweight title fight between Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia. Charlo is with PBC/Showtime, while Munguia is with Golden Boy/DAZN. The inability to agree on which network would televise this match killed the deal. And that same sticking point could hinder a fight between Davis and Garcia. Splitting the wallet will certainly create another hurdle, although it is clear who the A-side is. After all, Davis sold out Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for his KO of Rolando Romero in May and drew over 15,000 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles when he outlasted Isaac Cruz in December. 2 Related Garcia, meanwhile, drew 11,288 fans to the same Los Angeles venue on Saturday. But if the sides can somehow come to terms on the various issues, Davis-Garcia is shaping up to be a must-see action fight between two of the sport’s newest stars. Two explosive punchers with lightning-fast hands and big followings to boot, it’s the kind of fight boxing desperately needs. Win or lose, the kind of jolt from an event of this magnitude would make Garcia a much bigger star than he ever was. He would be well positioned for several important fights in a suddenly hot junior welterweight division. 140-pound skipper Josh Taylor could meet Jack Catterall in a rematch this fall, but has vacated two of his four titles. There’s also Jose Ramirez and Jose Zepeda, who are in line for another title rematch. Teofimo Lopez makes his debut at 140 pounds against Pedro Campa on August 13, and there are many more top fighters competing in the division. Regis Prograis and Subriel Matias are both looking for big fights. Undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney has indicated that he will jump up to 140 pounds sooner rather than later (likely after a rematch with George Kambosos Jr. this fall). If Garcia can’t land Davis before the end of the year, those are some of the names he could look at, but it would be a consolation prize at this point. After all the trash talk and insults, “Tank” Davis is the only opponent that matters to Garcia. And now that Garcia is back active, with two fights in four months, along with a statement win over Fortuna, the time is ripe for Garcia and Davis to finally meet in one of the biggest fights in all of boxing. “This will give me the respect I deserve,” Garcia said. “And I’m never afraid. I’ve got the competitive spirit in me, and you’ll see it when I fight Tank and his ass.”
