By: Sean Crose
“Everyone knows Im coming for tank,” Ryan Garcia tweeted on Wednesday, “So just wait on that, he knows it too. We all know it.” It’s not unusual for the colorful 23-0 fighter to call out another popular, undefeated fighter like the 27-0 Davis. There may, however, have been a catalyst that led to the tweet in question. Live streaming on Instagram Wednesday, Garcia told of a recent incident where he and Davis butted heads. “I seen Tank in the club,” Garcia started. “He’s a tough guy.” Garcia then described an altercation between he and WBA lightweight champ.
“He was very low key in his hoodie,” Garcia said of Davis, “and I went up to his table…and we said ‘Yo are we going to make this fight happen?’ and I guess he got offended by that, got all worked up and I was like ‘Yo, what you going on about, man? Ain’t no respect here?’ and then he responds with ‘Nah, there ain’t no respect here’.” According to Garcia, the situation then became physical. “He grabbed my chain,” Garcia said, “but I wasn’t worried about it.” Garcia went on to indicate that, as far as he was concerned, Davis was simply playing a role.
“Outside the ring, you can act tough all you want,” he said. “Inside the ring, it all changes…I’m not with the acting tough. I’m tough only when I need to be. I don’t need to flaunt that.” The truth is that both Garcia and Davis have proven themselves tough inside the ring, which is why a fight between the two men would be very appealing to fans. In the sport’s current state, however, a Davis-Garcia fight might only go down in the distant future, if at all. In some regards, outside the ring bickering has replaced the superfight in the world of contemporary boxing.
Yet there’s no denying Garcia does all he can to keep his name out there. Aside from being on his way to becoming a top attraction in the fight game, the 24 year old has an enormous social media presence and has already landed himself at least one major endorsement deal. Still, questions surround both Garcia and Davis. Garcia, after all, has yet to win a major title, while Davis is criticized for reportedly not fighting the best competition available. Although most would favor Davis to best Garcia in the ring, there’s little doubt a match between the two would be a marque event for the sport.