By: Sean Crose
After completely blasting his way through a way over his head Javier Fortuna Saturday night in Los Angeles, Ryan Garcia expressed his desire to face fellow undefeated power puncher Gervonta “Tank” Davis. “I will take Tank next,” he said. “If he wants it, let’s get it.” There really isn’t any reason Davis shouldn’t want it. A fight with Garcia would bring in a ton of attention. And money. Lots and lots of money. Yet there’s another reason Davis should be interested in facing Garcia next – he’d most likely win. While Garcia looked truly impressive dismantling Fortuna Saturday night, he didn’t look impressive enough to take out or get the better of Davis.
Although Baltimore’s Davis has never faced a truly marquee opponent, he’s mowed down plenty of quality competition these past few years. What’s more, he seems to have a more nuanced fight game than Garcia. Take for instance, Garcia’s stance on Saturday night. He was standing upright. What’s more, he wasn’t engaging in any head movement. Should Davis tag Garcia as Fortuna did on a few occasions during the fight, it won’t be Garcia whose declared the winner. It will be Garcia sprawled out on the mat.
Then there’s the matter of Davis’ defensive skills. The man can move his head while out-timing the man before him. Furthermore, Davis can crouch in a way reminiscent of Pernell Whitaker, and slip into a shoulder roll in a way reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather. Davis can also keep safely distanced from an opponent before pouncing forward unannounced, like Roy Jones. There’s no doubt Garcia can take out a wall, but could any of his punches find a home, really find a home, against the likes of Davis? That’s a tough question to answer, which is why it’s hard to see Garcia beating Davis at this point in time.
The future, however, is another story. Garcia hasn’t been training for too long with notable cornerman Joe Goossen. Being in his early 20s, the Californian is still quite likely a work in process. Garcia is also eager to jump up from lightweight to junior welterweight, which might prove to be a bridge too far for Davis, should he agree to meet Garcia at the 140 pound weight class. Still, it’s easy to see this version of Davis making a successful – if not easy – night’s work out of this version of Garcia. If Davis is as eager to make the fight as Garcia is, however, he’d better act quickly. Things can turn on a dime in this sport.
