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Ryan Garcia believes he has an advantage against Gervonta Davis in the field of "overcoming hardship."
The undefeated lightweight prospect from Victorville, California, was in trouble during the second round of his lightweight match with Luke Campbell last January. Campbell of England landed an overhand left that knocked Garcia to the ground. Garcia, on the other hand, recovered fast and went on to halt the Briton in the seventh round with a body shot.
Garcia believes that his potentially career-ending experience has only benefited him as a boxer and will bode well for him when he faces Baltimore's "Tank" Davis in a 12-round, 136-pound encounter in April. The two announced their much anticipated bout last week, to to the delight of the boxing audience.
Garcia claims that the Campbell knockout taught him how to take a hit and, more significantly, how to bounce back, something he cannot say for Davis. Garcia will face a dangerous southpaw puncher in Davis.
“A lot of boxers have gotten dropped in the past,” Garcia told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's First Take. “They get up and they win the fight. So, you know that I have that in me. I’ve proven that. He hasn’t proven once he’s been hit with a hard shot what he will do. So that could be a credit to him, but at this point in time, he hasn’t been hit.
“Once he gets hit, let’s see how he reacts, because I know I can take it and get right back up and finish the job. I don’t know if he can do it. We’re going to be testing that when the fight happens. He won’t be with that left. Much different scenario. I’ll be ready for everything.”
Both fighters will have interim fights before their April 15th showdown. Although no venue has been announced, the fight will be broadcast on Showtime Pay-Per-View, the network that has supported Davis for all of his professional career. Customers may also buy the pay-per-view on DAZN, the streaming company that supports Garcia.
Davis will face Hector Garcia, a 130-pound competitor, on January 7 in Washington, D.C. in a Pay-Per-View event on Showtime Garcia has announced that his interim fight will take place in January as well.