WASHINGTON – Calvin Ford doesn’t view Ryan Garcia as some overmatched Instagram star who talked his way into one of the biggest fights in boxing.
Gervonta Davis’ trainer considers Garcia dangerous and recognizes that his fighter’s showdown with the taller puncher will present plenty of challenges. Davis secured his spot in their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event early Sunday morning, when the unbeaten WBA world lightweight champion stopped Hector Luis Garcia after the eighth round of their 12-round, 135-pound championship bout at Capital One Arena.
Ford discussed both Garcias during Davis’ post-fight press conference.
“When you look at fights, going into the fights, you know what I’m saying, sometimes people train different getting ready for a bigger fight,” Ford said. “So, like we don’t never go into a fight thinking we gonna smash right through ‘em and everything. It’s like Hector, everybody kept saying, ‘Oh, Hector.’ But then when you really start watching Hector, y’all know this was a real fight.
“So, Ryan, y’all think he ain’t [good]. He putting something together, because he know this is a big fight. You know, and you gotta give him his credit. He’s where he at for a reason. You know what I’m saying? And he chose, ‘I’m gonna fight Tank.’ So, right now they going back and forth. I can’t wait. You know, I can’t wait.”
Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, and Baltimore’s Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) are expected to square off in a 12-round, 136-pound fight that could take place as soon as April 15. Garcia was supposed to take part in a tune-up fight against Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) on January 28, but the confident contender decided last month to skip it.
The 24-year-old Garcia most recently knocked out Dominican southpaw Javier Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KOs, 2 NC) in the sixth round July 16 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Garcia floored Fortuna three times – once apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds – before their scheduled 12-rounder concluded.
Davis, meanwhile, rocked Hector Luis Garcia with a left hand late in the eighth round. The Dominican southpaw, who moved up from the 130-pound limit to the 135-pound division to face Davis, declined to leave his corner for the ninth round because he couldn’t see out of his right eye.
The 31-year-old Garcia, who owns the WBA super featherweight title, lost for the first time as a professional (16-1, 10 KOs, 3 NC).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
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