Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is skeptical about whether the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight will take place in December.
Without Tank Davis’ active involvement in the process, Hearn doubts the fight with Ryan will take place. Hearn feels that Tank (27-0, 25 KOs) needs to be the boss and tell his promoters that he wants the fight with Ryan because without him insisting on it, it might not happen.
Hearn thinks that with Ryan fighting on DAZN and Tank being with PBC, that would be reason enough for it not to take place.
He feels that DAZN is being boxed out by PBC, who supposedly don’t want to let them into big fights like this because it would give the streaming giant another level.
If that’s the case, Tank Davis will be the loser because he’ll be stuck fighting a limited number of fighters with PBC and have a lot of needless rematches for lack of new blood.
“I was with Eric Gomez in Abu Dhabi for the press conference, and I had a brief chat with him. I don’t think he was overly confident that fight would get made,” said Eddie Hearn to the DAZN Boxing Show about the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight.
“Tank has to stand up to these guys and say, ‘No, you make the Ryan Garcia in December. It’s your job. Do it.’ How can we be the boss? A lot of the time, we put the money up, but we’re not getting in there and fighting.
“These guys are putting themselves on the line for our entertainment. As a fighter gets bigger, they have more say in their career. Anthony Joshua will tell me what he wants to do. He’ll take my advice, but he’ll tell me what he wants to do. Tank Davis is the boss.
“It’s a huge fight, and it goes back to the industry vs. DAZN. DAZN is the disrupters. Why wouldn’t you just do Tank vs. Ryan Garcia on Showtime pay-per-view or PBC pay-per-view or wherever it’s going to be and on DAZN PPV?
“You let the fighters have all the money from the gate, and the promoters take their percentage. Job done. It shouldn’t be that difficult, but it still comes down to. ‘No, we don’t want.’ Like I said, that’s why it really lights the fire inside me because it’s not really about Eddie Hearn or Matchroom or DAZN.
“Collectively, they never want to let us in. They feel like, ‘If we let them into that fight, it gives them another level, giving them momentum.’ It’s sad that’s how boxing works. It’s nothing new. Maybe I’d do the same if I was them.
“I’m not even criticizing those guys, and this fight has nothing to do with them anyway. I’m talking as a fan. Why? It’s really going to come down to the fighters to stand up.
“Even with the Fury-AJ stuff. I’d like for AJ to knock out a few people and get moving again. But when AJ says to me, ‘Listen, if this fight is for real, I want it,” said Hearn.
