Shakur Stevenson sees Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis starting slow but then coming on and scoring a knockout of Ryan Garcia after the sixth or seventh rounds this Saturday, April 22nd, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Stevenson feels that Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) will be strong early in the fight, but Tank will start getting to him at the midpoint of the contest, and the end will come quickly.
Guys like Shakur would give Ryan a shot at winning if he’d proven himself against the top guys at lightweight, like Devin Haney, Frank Martin, Vasily Lomachenko, and Isaac Cruz, but he’s been kept away from those fighters. Ryan has been on a crusade to fight Gervonta for the last two years and has shown no desire to mix it with the best.
That’s why a lot of boxing people see Ryan’s intent as being just a cash-out to get a bunch of money to retire on and keep his promise of getting out of the game in his mid-20s. Ryan is 24 now, so this could be it for him.
Ryan Garcia will start fast
“How do you see Tank and Ryan Garcia?” said Max Kellerman on Max on Boxing.
“I see Tank knocking him out early in the fight,” said Shakur Stevenson on the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia clash. “I think early on, Ryan is going to be tough.
“He’s going to come out hot, but I think after six or seven rounds, Tank is going to take over and get him up out of there.”
“Ryan Garcia, maybe it’s a psychological thing where he’s saying, ‘I’m going to hurt you with my hook,’ but what else can you pursue and what else can you do?” said Teofimo Lopez to Millcity Boxing.
“I’m going to help Ryan Garcia right now. You can promote that. Ryan, do you want to know how to beat Tank? Do you really want to know how to beat him? Don’t commit. That’s it. Do not commit.
“You counter him and wait on him. I was telling Rolly how to beat Gervonta, and he was doing it from the first round to the sixth, but Rolly doesn’t have the experience, and Tank knows that.
“Rolly started out at 16 or 17. Do you know what I mean? Tank has been fighting since he was three or four years old. I’ve been doing the same since I was two or three years old. So if you’re not born and bred in this sport, you’re not going to last too long.
“Ryan started at eight, but hey, it’s a great fight. These guys are going to be fighting in Vegas. I’m going to be training in camp, staying focused. I’m not going to go over there and promote that s**t, either. Leave it alone,” said Teofimo.
Body shots are key to beating Tank
“No, no, no. That’s all Tank right there,” said Teofimo when asked if Davis vs. Garcia is a ’50-50 fight.’ You beat Tank with body shots. I sparred Tank. I know he felt that s**t, and I was young. I was 15, bro. You’re talking about ten years ago. I’m not the same kid.
“Tank was already a pro. I think he had four or six pro fights already at 18. That’s why they don’t call m out. They stay in their lane. Good men. It’s just straightforward, and if they want to press that, I’m up for it.
“The more, the merrier. That’s how I look at it,” said Teofimo when asked if he’d like to fight Tank Davis. “Back then, my mindset was, how we finish these guys. Back then, you cut their head off and place it on a spike with their tongue out. That’s me.
“I wish I could do that now, but I can’t. I just got to punch them with my gloves. That’s protecting them. If I really wanted to and I was going back in time, I would cut their head and put it on a spike. That’s my way of defeating them.
“Obviously, we don’t live in that time no more. They should be happy that this is the time that we’re in. They should be. I’m ready for all these guys like I’ve always been. I face the best because I always like to challenge myself.
“I don’t think Tank faces the best because he doubts himself. He knows he can beat Ryan, so he’s going to face him, and how he learned that was through Mayweather, plain and simple.
“If you know your sport, then you know how it works. If you don’t know your sport, get out of it because you’re stupid. Hey man, this is the fight game. It’s the boxing game. Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.
“Do you know what I’m saying? A lot of people hating on me, but I’m just a player. I’m just playing, that’s all. I’m just really good at playing the game,” said Teofimo.
“That’s one of the biggest fights of the year. You’ve got two guys doing something great for the sport. They’re definitely making it happen,” said Edgar Berlanga to Fight Hub TV about Saturday’s Davis vs. Garcia bout.
