Calvin Ford Disagrees with Labeling Ryan Garcia a Quitter
Some observers have labeled Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) a quitter after his stoppage loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) on April 22. One who strongly disagrees with that depiction of Garcia is Calvin Ford, the lead trainer of Davis.
UNFAIR AND UNWARRANTED
In round seven of that contest, Davis landed with a left hook to the liver that put Garcia down on one knee. Hurt and in pain, Garcia stayed on one knee and was counted out. During an interview on Fight Hub TV, Ford explained why the criticism of Garcia is not justified.
“I think that’s bad because if you get hit with a shot like that, you ain’t coming back. We had a few people that’s known stars, known great ones that got hit with shots like that and didn’t come back from it.
So I give Ryan my salute. He came out, did the best that he can, and just got caught with a shot. He got caught with a shot that he couldn’t recover from.”
A well-placed body shot is one of the best punches in the sport. A shot landed on the solar plexus, the liver, or the short rib can have a devastating effect.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Roy Jones knocked out long-reigning light heavyweight champion Virgil Hill with a devastating right hook to the body in April 1998. The shot was so hard that it broke two of Hill’s ribs. In September 2004, Bernard Hopkins ended a close, competitive contest against Oscar De La Hoya with a well executed left hook to the liver. De La Hoya crumpled to the canvas and was left writhing in pain while the referee counted him out.
To Ford’s point, some of the best who have ever laced on a pair of gloves got stopped from a single punch to the breadbasket. It’s why trainers put so much stock in their fighters going to the body and learning the art of inside-fighting.
In boxing, all it takes is one punch to end it all. Never underestimate the damage that a shot to the body can do to a fighter. Ryan Garcia just happened to be the latest example.
