Even though he’s a promoter for Saturday’s Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia WBA lightweight fight, Oscar De La Hoya doesn’t hold back from his opinions when it comes to pre-fight bluffing by Davis.
De La Hoya, a former boxer himself, noticed some suspicious activity just two days after what boxing fans called the “fight of the year.”
“As someone who spent most of his early life in the ring, I know very well what it takes to compete at the highest level, and that is the highest level,” De La Hoya said Thursday in Las Vegas. “I look at Ryan and I know he’s ready. I look at Ryan’s team, and they know he’s ready.”
Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are both undefeated and in peak prime numbers. The combination of 51-0 between the pair and months of pent-up frustration and build-up gives the fight legs to be a win-win in the sport of boxing.
Although De La Hoya says Davis has been put to work, his team’s difficulty in dealing with the rehydration clause in the contract could come back to bite the Baltimore native.
“I look at Tank and he looks ready,” De La Hoya continued. But when I look at Team Tank’s actions throughout the promotion, I wonder, ‘Do they really think this guy is ready? The heavy weights and rehydration requirements, the extra weight in the late afternoon. All these petty little requirements point to a team looking to protect their fighter. And why would they protect their fighter unless they don’t think he’s not ready for this moment. I really think Team Tank is worried about losing him. And when you’re a fighter, nothing’s worse than your team not believing in you.”
Believe it or not, talking time almost ended once Davis and Garcia got into a sold-out square circle in Vegas.
The bout would see both fighters weigh in at 136 pounds instead of the typical 140 frame. Despite the weight difference, Leonard Ellerbe says Davis is ready to go.
“It’s our job to put our young person in the best position to be successful,” Ellerbe said. “Tank earned the right to be on the first side. That’s why I was shocked to see him (De La Hoya) say that. This guy is the same guy who got Floyd up in weight, gave him a big clause and did everything to put us at a disadvantage, put Everything to put us at a disadvantage because he was the man. We cheated his ass into getting into the ring. Let’s start with that.”
Quotes written across MMAJunkie.
The pay-per-view begins at 8pm EST / 5pm PT and will air on Showtime and DAZN pay-per-views in the US.
Who comes out on top, Davis or Garcia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation.