Though he is a promoter in Saturday’s Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia WBA lightweight title fight, Oscar De La Hoya is not holding back his opinions when it comes to pre-fight shenanigans from the Davis side.
De La Hoya, a former boxer himself, notices some suspicious activity just two days removed from what is being dubbed “the fight of the year” by boxing purists.
“As someone who spent most of his early life in the ring, I know firsthand what it takes to compete at the highest level, and this is the highest level,” De La Hoya said Thursday in Las Vegas. “I look at Ryan and I know he’s ready. I look at Ryan’s team, and they know he’s ready.”
Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are both undefeated and are in the height of their primes. A combined 51-0 between the pair and months of pent up frustration and build-up gives the fight legs to be a win-win for the sport of boxing.
Even though De La Hoya says that Davis has put in the work, it’s his team’s difficulty with the in-contract rehydration clause that could come back to bite the Baltimore native.
“I look at Tank and he looks ready,” De La Hoya continued. “But when I look at Tank’s team’s actions throughout the whole promotion, I am left to wonder, ‘Do they really think this guy is ready?’ Catchweights and re-hydration clauses, late afternoon weigh-ins. All of these small, petty requirements points to a team that looks to protect their fighter. And why do they protect their fighter unless they don’t think maybe he’s not ready for this moment. I really believe that Tank’s team is worried he’s going to lose. And when you’re a fighter, nothing feels worse than your team not believing in you.”
Belief or not, the time for talk is nearly over once Davis and Garcia enter a sold-out squared-circle in Vegas.
The bout will see both fighters weigh 136 pounds instead of the typical 140 frame. Despite the weight difference, Leonard Ellerbe says that Davis is ready to roll.
“It’s our job to put our young guy in the best situation to be successful,” Ellerbe said. “Tank has earned the right to be the A-side. That’s why I was shocked to see him (De La Hoya) say that. This dude is the same dude that made Floyd go up in weight, gave him a big ass clause and did everything to put us at a disadvantage set everything to put us at a disadvantage because he was the guy. We actually tricked his ass to get in the ring. Let’s start with that.”
Quotes transcribed via MMAJunkie.
The pay-per-view begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and it will air on Showtime and DAZN pay-per-view in the United States.
Who comes out on top, Davis or Garcia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation.
