Hector Luis Garcia says the referee’s decision to delay the fight during a fight inside the crowd during the eighth round caused him to lose the momentum he had during his match against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on January 7th at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tank then hurt Hector after the action resumed, and the fight was halted before the start of the ninth round.
Hector says he heard Team Davis planned the fight in the crowd, and he doesn’t think the referee should have stopped the action.
Many boxing fans didn’t understand why the referee would bother to stop the fight for an altercation inside the crowd because this type of thing happens frequently in matches, and referees normally don’t stop the action.
Some fans feel that the timing of the fight in the crowd played into Gervonta’s hands because he was struggling against Hector up to that point, and the delay helped him.
“If I won that fight against Gervonta Davis, it would have elevated me. What hurt the most is I got stuck at the moment,” said Hector Luis Garcia to Fight Hub TV, reflecting on his ninth round knockout loss to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on January 7th.
“I had rhythm in the fight until the referee stopped the fight. I felt I had gained composure, but after that everything was loose,” said Hector, talking about how he lost his momentum after the referee stopped the contest to watch a fight taking place at ringside. The long delay resulted in Hector losing the momentum that he had.
“It wasn’t right, but it was what the ref calls. You have to respect, but it wasn’t right. Once I got to the hotel, I recognized that I should have continued. I kept questioning myself, ‘Why did I stop?’ I should have just kept on going.
“Some say it was planned. I heard that it was planned by Team Davis at the moment,” said Garcia about the fight that took place in the crowd. “I felt like I was winning the fight round by round. I was winning, and I was prepared. I felt like I was getting more explosive as the rounds kept on going.
“I went a full week with my eye being red,” said Garcia about his right eye being red after his fight with Tank. “I have red lines in my eyes, but nothing is broken,” said Hector.