Is Ryan Garcia Wise to Drop his Tune-up Fight Before Tank?
Some fighters like to have a tune-up before embarking on a mega-fight. It looks like that will not be the case for Ryan “King Ry” Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs). For those who have been sleeping under a rock, Garcia has signed to face reigning WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (27-0, 25 KOs). However, his plan of skipping a tune-up has the potential to backfire.
MAKING A BEE LINE FOR DAVIS
King Ry, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, has apparently decided to forego a bout against Mercito Gesta and wants Tank straight away. Garcia went to social media and released the following statements.
Garcia further said Gesta was never finalized and only mentioned as a possible opponent. King Ry’s last outing was a sixth-round knockout over ex-junior lightweight champion Javier Fortuna in July 2022. This means Garcia would be going into the fight with Davis off a nine-month layoff.
This gives Davis a huge advantage entering the a fight. King Ry is going have serious ring rust, effecting his timing and accuracy which are his natural attributes. Keep in mind that Gesta lacks all of Davis’s boxing gifts. With Davis opting to stay sharp against junior lightweight champion Hector Luis Garcia, the Californian’s decision gives his rival the edge.
The old-school adage is that a fighter wants to be active to avoid any possible ring rust. That could be avoided with competitive, intense, high-quality sparring in the gym during training camp. Only 24, Garcia doesn’t necessarily need a lot to rev up the engine. But he has to be as sharp and ready as possible to defeat the hard-hitting Tank.
Is this move Garcia’s best option to prepare for such a dangerous opponent? It certainly provides further intrigue to what is a highly-anticipated contest.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
