Gervonta Davis – Ryan Garcia mega-clash tentatively scheduled for April 15th is in jeopardy over the unilateral rematch clause that is in control of the Baltimore native’s side.
According to Mike Coppinger, Golden Boy Promotions & DAZN wants to be the lead promoter/network for the rematch, should Ryan (23-0, 19 KOs) defeat Tank Davis on April 15th on the Showtime PPV broadcast of the fight.
However, Tank Davis’ promoters at PBC & network at Showtime want to remain the lead promoter/network for the rematch despite them being in control of the first fight.
In other words, they want to have their hands on the controls of the promotion all the way through, regardless of what happens to Tank.
Some would argue that’s not exactly fair, but Tank (28-0, 26 KOs) is the A-side, after all, and that goes a long way in boxing.
It’s unknown whether either side is willing to take this to the bitter end and blow apart the fight over this seemingly small issue, but if so, that’s the way it goes.
“PBC and Showtime maintain that the promoter and network should remain the same for a potential encore bout,” said Coppinger of ESPN.
“If Garcia wins, Golden Boy and DAZN argue that their side should be the lead promoter and PPV producer/distributor.”
It’s going to be fun to see which of the two sides blinks first and chooses to give in. With Ryan Garcia appearing to be absolutely desperate to fight Tank, it’s very likely that his side will be the one that gives in on the rematch clause.
Ryan is a little too needy, making it seem like he doesn’t possess the confidence that he can blaze his own trail, win world titles, and beat the best.
Thus far, Ryan has never fought for a world title despite having an opportunity to do so. Again, the lack of self-confidence on Ryan’s part will lead to him telling Golden Boy to give in on the rematch clause issue.
Tank would then move on and likely give Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz a rematch, whereas Ryan Garcia would start testing the waters at 140, seeing if he’s got enough talent to compete in the division.
Neither fighter is expected to test themselves against the best if their fight falls apart.
Thus far, Ryan & Tank have done nicely, making millions while seemingly swerving the elite-level opposition in their careers. You can’t expect them to change their pattern of being carefully matched.