Oscar De La Hoya believes that this Saturday night’s Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight will determine the “next face of boxing” in the sport.
There won’t be any world titles on the line when former three-division world champion Tank Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) meet on DAZN & Showtime pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As De La Hoya points out, the Davis-Garcia winner will soon replace the current face of boxing, Canelo Alvarez, who is in the “fourth quarter” of his career and winding down.
The question is, what will be the staying power of Ryan Garcia or Tank Davis as the main guy in the sport? If the winner faces someone talented like Shakur Stevenson or Devin Haney next, they could lose, and along with it, they’ll no longer be viewed as the face of boxing.
It will look bad if the Ryan vs. Tank winner swerves the killers at 135 and 140, staying away from the talented opposition and only fighting guys like Rolly Romero, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Javier Fortuna, Leo Santa Cruz, and Isaac Cruz.
Some would argue that Ryan and Gervonta have been maneuvered around the talented opposition their entire careers, resulting in both being carefully manufactured fighters that are unbeaten but completely untested.
“You put on one of the best match-ups in years, and all walks of life are going to watch this fight. That’s how big it is. It’s not a fight to save boxing, but a fight to remind people about the beauty of the sport,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Mortal Kombat about the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia bout this Saturday night.
“I know how fast this fight can catch fire on Saturday night because you have the two perfect ingredients inside that one ring, and that’s youth. Two fighters who are young, two fighters that are undefeated. It’s rare in this sport now.
“I think what’s at stake is the next face of boxing,” said De La Hoya about what’s on the line for the Davis vs. Garcia match. “The beginning of the next face of boxing. Obviously, Canelo is driving viewership, driving the pay-per-views. He’s [still] in the driver’s seat. Yes, he’s at the tail-end of his career.
“I feel in the next few years, whether it’s Ryan Garcia or Gervonta Davis, it’s going to carry the sport for many years to come.
“It’s this type of fight that keeps boxing in the limelight and attracts new fans. On one side, I had Ryan Garcia open and vocal about making this fight and wanting this fight so bad, and on the other side, I was cringing because it’s like showing your cards in a poker game.
“It was really difficult to negotiate. We literally had to give in on everything because Ryan Garcia wanted this fight so bad, and the other side obviously took advantage of that,” said De La Hoya about his negotiations with Tank Davis’ management.
“The biggest obstacle was the weight issue, the rehydration clause, and the amount of money if you come out over a pound or so. All that was almost a deal-breaker.
“I was urging Ryan Garcia not to do that, not to take it. Like I said, Ryan wanted the fight so bad, and I think Ryan is the real reason this fight is being made,” said De La Hoya.
