Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya says he’s ready to put the fight together between Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Ryan Garcia for the fall at 140 pounds following Kingry’s sixth-round knockout win over veteran Javier Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KOs) in a showcase fight on DAZN.
Ryan knocked the hapless 33-year-old journeyman Fortuna down three times, dropping him in rounds 4, 5 & 6.
Fortuna chose to stay down after being dropped in the sixth, but he was clear-eyed while being given a count and showed no signs of a wobble when he got back to his feet. The effort from Fortuna tonight was that of a fighter that didn’t come to win.
De La Hoya believes the fight with the Mayweather-promoted Tank Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is a doable one despite the huge hurdles that he’ll need to jump through in dealing with Floyd and Al Haymon, as well as the network obstacles.
One big problem that could stop the Tank-Garcia fight is the lack of a signature win in the career of the young 23-year-old Ryan Garcia. When you look at Ryan’s resume, it’s filled with fluff opposition like tonight’s fight against journeyman Fortuna, who fought like he wasn’t even trying to win the fight.
Fortuna is arguably the best name on Ryan’s resume, and he’s totally shot at this stage in his career. For Ryan to properly build up a fight with Tank Davis, he should have fought Devin Haney, Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, Vasyl Lomachenko, or Shakur Stevenson.
“Yeah, he’s the real deal. Fortuna has never been knocked out and never been down,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV moments after Ryan Garcia knocked out Javier Fortuna on Saturday night.
“Fortuna told me that Ryan is the hardest puncher he’s ever faced. It’s great; it’s beautiful. We’re building up the next superstar in boxing,” said De La Hoya when asked what it’s like to be the promoter for Ryan Garcia.
“We promote Ryan, and we have a contract with DAZN. That’s the bottom line. The way that Bob Arum made the fight with Tyson Fury and FOX and ESPN, and that’s just the way it gets made. It can be done; there’s no doubt about it,” said De La Hoya that he can make the fight with Showtime fighter Tank Davis and Ryan next.
“Yeah, I’m confident. I’m more than confident. We want the fight; that’s the bottom line. We want the fight even more. Let’s make it happen for the fall. Yeah, Gervonta – Ryan, let’s make the fight,” said De La Hoya.
