Ryan Garcia Discloses Required Rehydration Clause to Land Tank Davis Fight
The issue of “King” Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) and his weight has become a hot topic heading into his April 22 showdown against multi-divisional world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KOs). The fight is happening at a catchweight of 136 pounds. At the kickoff press conference at Times Square in New York City, Garcia revealed for the match to get finalized, he had to agree to a rehydration clause.
MAKING SACRIFICES
During an interview with SHOWTIME Sports, King Ryan went into the specifics of the rehydration clause. In his mind, this is all a sign of weakness and lack of belief from Tank.
“I said to myself, ‘you know what, I’ma do whatever I have to do to make this fight happen.’ . . . A lot of the times during this negotiation, I probably should have said no because of the stipulations he put against me.
Obviously, he likes to fight people with no power, so he’s trying to weight-drain me and then a rehydration clause – I can’t gain more than ten pounds. There’s a lot of stipulations there in there that show what kind of character he has, his integrity, and the will of a competitor he has. He doesn’t have it. He doesn’t have the heart of a champion.”
Garcia conceded that getting down to 136 is going to be tough. As a result, he’s started the cutting process and is under a strict nutrition plan.
At age 24, his body is starting to fill out. For most of his career, Garcia fought at junior lightweight and lightweight. But the last two bouts occurred in the junior welterweight division. In his most recent outing against Javier Fortuna in July 2022, Garcia weighed a career-high 140 pounds.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
King Ryan’s revelation has led to plenty of discussions from fans and pundits. Will the grind to get down to 136 take too much out of him physically? Will he be at full strength on fight night? It’s all a juicy subplot to one of the high-profile fights of the year.
