By Vince Dwriter: On multiple occasions, lightweight star Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) has been accused of publicly announcing big fights and using the announcements as a way to stay relevant in the public eye. Garcia would reveal he’s fighting a big named boxer in the 135-pound division, and then later down the road; he would fight nobody at all or a lesser opponent.
After his January 2021 win over Luke Campbell, Garcia called out Gervonta “Tank” Davis. A few weeks later, Garcia switched up and declared he would face Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition match. The exhibition turned into an official match, and then the bout didn’t happen at all, as Pacquiao and Garcia never faced each other inside of the ring.
Instead of fighting Manny Pacquiao, Garcia had scheduled a clash between he and Javier Fortuna, but Garcia withdrew from the match in order to deal with his mental health issues. In October 2021, Ryan Garcia and JoJo Diaz were scheduled to face each other, but a week later, Garcia suffered a hand injury, and the fight was postponed.
Two months later, Garcia once again called out Gervonta Davis and accused Davis of fighting a C-Level fighter. After his victory over Isaac Cruz, Davis addressed Garcia’s challenge during his post-fight press conference. “He’s an Instagram fighter. We don’t worry about him. He’s a pretty girl. He just likes to talk.”
Fast forward to the present day, and once again, Ryan Garcia is publicly challenging Gervonta Davis, but Davis, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez have given Garcia the label of a person who is all talk and no action. Garcia’s rivals have caught on to his tactics, and they have vowed to disregard anything Garcia verbally says or posts on social media.
Garcia seems adamant about finally fighting Gervonta Davis, but it appears another member of Golden Boy is pulling the switch-up maneuver. After the Vergil Ortiz vs. Michael McKinson weigh-in, Oscar De La Hoya did an interview with FightHub TV to give an update on the Davis vs. Garcia negotiations.
“Everybody is eager about that fight. That’s the only fight that Ryan wants. Umm… that’s the only fight that Tank wants. Look, we’re talking. We’re talking, so it’s a great start. To get to talk to the other side is a great start, so we want the fight,” De La Hoya stated.
Approximately twenty-four hours later, De La Hoya switched up like an NFL quarterback calling an audible. After Ortiz knocked out McKinson, De La Hoya did an interview with ESNews and addressed the status of the negotiations. “Hey, we are trying to get a hold of Tank’s side. We don’t know who to talk to. Nobody picks up their phone; nobody calls back. I feel they are playing games, so I’m moving on, and I’m going to Teofimo’s fight next week.”
Boxing fans have witnessed the callouts and bold predictions, but we have yet to see Ryan Garcia step into the ring to battle any of the elite fighters. Garcia has expressed his desire to fight once again in 2022. With five months left to go in the calendar year, hopefully, Garcia and Golden Boy can send out a contract instead of sending out guarantees and public challenges.
