Fight fans everywhere are braced for the Ryan Garcia-Gervonta Davis fight (just who is the A-side here??) – to go down, we all hope, next year, with a date in April in place. Before the fight, both guys announced they would each box a tune-up, with Tank signing on to fight Hector Garcia on January 7 and with Garcia supposedly set to face Mercito Gesta, also in January.
But now, “KingRy” has said, “f**k the tune-up,” and he instead will go straight into the big one with fellow unbeaten Davis. Taking to social media to announce his plans, Garcia said adios to the tune-up plan before vowing to “spark out” Davis “in two.”
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Garcia said he doesn’t need a tune-up, even if Davis does.
“I had time to think about if I really wanted to do this,” Garcia said of the tune-up plan. “Tank has always wanted to do things that are going to make him as comfortable as he could be as ready as he could be going into a fight. I didn’t need to tune up, and I don’t need to tune up. I want to put on the biggest fights for the fans. So I’ve decided that I’m done f*****g around. I’m ready to go right after Tank.”
But might Garcia, who last fought in July, be risking the possibility of carrying some ring rust into the biggest fight of his career by not boxing a tune-up? Maybe. The idea of a tune-up to get the tools sharpened was the reason Davis signed on for a fight before the big one, Davis not having boxed since May. Which of these two fighters will be best served – the guy who boxes the tune-up or the guy who doesn’t box a tune-up?
Some eyebrows were raised when Davis, 27-0(25), announced he would be fighting Hector Garcia, with Garcia being both unbeaten at 16-0(10) and being a reigning champion, having won the WBA 130-pound title in August. Some fans still feel this fight is a darn risky tune-up, even for as special a fighter as Davis.
However, when all is said and done, all fans really care about here is getting to see Davis and Garcia get it on in 2023. Hopefully, Garcia, 23-0(19) will be fully sharp and ready for April, or whenever the super fight happens, and hopefully Davis doesn’t fall victim to an upset on January 7.
As has been said before, boxing needs this fight between Davis and Garcia to happen. Having said that, it’s tough not to feel for Mercito Gesta, who has now lost out on both a big payday and an even bigger career opportunity.
