By: Sean Crose
Things got nasty at Thursday’s final press conference for the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia pay per view matchup going down this Saturday night in Las Vegas. Davis and Garcia, who are young, brutal and know how to draw in eyeballs, expressed a menacing degree of confidence as they squared off in a vocal battle before they battle in the ring this weekend. “I’m going to end him,” Garcia said of Davis. “I promise that. It’s over.” Davis’ response to Garcia’s brash confidence? “Delusional. That’s it.” Indeed it wasn’t long before things began to get personal between the two men.
“You’re laughing,” Garcia said to Davis across the stage at one point, “but I’m dead serious. It’s going to happen and it’s going to be over quick. So quick.” Garcia was only getting started. “You got the lowest punch output in boxing right now,” he said to his opponent. “You walked into the wrong guy right here…this is the moment everything catches up to you in every way…you’re finished.”
Davis, of course, was not one to take such talk lying down. “I touch that jaw I’m telling you you’re going to sleep,” he told Garcia. “When I touch anything you’re going to sleep,” Garcia retorted. “You go at the temple,” said Davis, “you don’t go at the jaw. I’m going to break your jaw. I promise you. Don’t even bring your mother or your daughter.” Davis went on to make it clear he doesn’t believe Garcia has anything more than a punch. “This guy has no fundamentals at all,” he said of Garcia. “That’s all he’s relying on is a hook…no defense, no nothing, no footwork, no head movement, nothing.”
The subject moved on to a leak Davis claims Garcia has had in his camp. Garcia indicated he didn’t care whether his training camp was being spied on or not. “You want to watch me train tonight, you can,” said Garcia. “You’re whole team can come watch. It’s not going to stop what’s going to happen.” What no doubt is going to happen this weekend (barring a catastrophe) is that two of the most popular fighters in the world are going to square off in their absolute primes. It’s something that happens far too infrequently in the contemporary fight game.
“You don’t get to this position without having something special,” said Garcia. “I’m who I say I am,” said Davis. “I’m that guy. I’m that guy. I didn’t get all this way here from nothing. I put the work in. I got those guys out of there.” No matter what, Saturday night should prove to be nothing if not completely interesting.