Ryan Garcia put on arguably his most impressive performance last night in wiping out bitter, vocal (“I’ll eat your heart”) rival Javier Fortuna. Garcia sent his southpaw opponent to the mat three times on the way to a 6th round stoppage win. Now 23-0(19), Garcia said he felt much better fighting up at 140 pounds and that he wants to fight Gervonta Davis there next.
Right now, it could certainly be argued how a Garcia-Davis fight is the hottest lower weight fight that can be made: two unbeaten fighters who are packed with talent, who both hit hard – who both want to be superstars. Garcia wants it, Oscar De La Hoya wants it, we fans want it, and hopefully Davis wants it.
“I felt way better at this weight,” a victorious Garcia said after taking care of Fortuna, a man who had only been stopped once before, this back in 2016. “I’m not going down to 135 for nothing. But I will fight Tank if he wants it at 140. I’ll make sure to record all the negotiations so you can’t say I was ducking. I want that fight because it’s going to give me the respect I deserve. I’m never afraid. I have a spirit of competition in me and you’re going to see that come out when I fight Tank and whoop his ass.”
So who wins if (or when) these two fighters collide? Both men are fast approaching the peak of their respective powers and a great argument can be made for either guy winning the fight. It’s the best versus the best, the way it should be in boxing. 23 year old Garcia fought just once in 2020 and just once last year, but now, firing on all cylinders, “KingRy” is stepping up to the plate and he wants the big fights.
27 year old Tank, 27-0(25) and another southpaw, has won belts at 130, 135 and 140, but he may feel he is at his best, at his strongest, at 135. Might the demand Garcia has of fighting Tank at 140 prove to be a stumbling block? We hope not. We want to see this fight and we want to see it bad. If promoted right (and it surely would be hyped up big), this one could be massive.
