Gervonta Davis defends his WBA lightweight title against fellow unbeaten world champion Hector Luis Garcia at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Saturday, January 7. The pair squares off in the 12-round main event live on pay-per-view on Showtime. Ahead of the event, undefeated five-time world champion hosted a media workout in Miami.
Davis has established himself as one of boxing’s hottest attractions and will need to dispatch the WBA super featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia in order to pave the way for the recently announced blockbuster clash against unbeaten star Ryan Garcia in the Spring of 2023.
In Australia Davis vs Garcia airs live on Sunday, January 8. Boxing fans can watch the fight live on Main Event on Kayo.
Check out below what “Tank” Davis, and his longtime trainer Calvin Ford, had to say Wednesday from the 5th Street Gym in Miami.
Gervonta Davis
“[Hector Luis] Garcia is talking about getting the knockout, but we know he can just say that and end up fighting a different way. We don’t really know what’s going to happen until we get into the ring.
“I’m just locked in through the holidays. I’ll do some stuff with my kids, but other than that I’m totally committed to this fight and training for it.
“Going into a fight, any opponent is dangerous. He’s training hard and I know that someone like [Hector Luis] Garcia isn’t just someone stepping in. He’s been training for me for a long time.
“I can’t just go in there and try to knock everyone out right away. I have to show that I have more than just punching power. I have skills to go along with my boxing IQ.
“Hector is a sound fighter who’s beat some top guys. He’s a durable guy who’s coming to fight. He’s undefeated and he’s a great opponent. You can’t sleep on him. If you’re sleeping on him, he might put you to sleep.
“Every fight is a steppingstone toward what I want to do. I feel as though this fight with Hector is an important piece in all of it. I have to put on a good performance so that everybody knows that this is in their future.
“I think Ryan Garcia’s being lazy not taking a fight before our fight. I don’t know. When he was coming up, he was in the gym and everything and now he’s got some money and a little bit of fame and he’s partying and stuff like that. It happens to the majority of us, but it’s up to him to tighten up before it’s too late.
“I am hoping that the Ryan Garcia fight will open up doors for everyone to make more big fights. It also shows that I’m not ducking anybody.”
Calvin Ford, Davis’ Trainer
“Camp has been good, we’re just waiting to see everything transform in the ring. Obviously when you’ve been out of the ring for a long period of time, there are little things that you have to go back and correct. It’s also important that we do our best to preserve his body for what he’s got in front of him.
“We’ve got a tough task. This fight is more mental than physical. I think it’s similar to the Jose Pedraza fight because [Hector Luis] Garcia is also an undefeated Olympian who’s a world champion. We’re just ready to go to that next level.
“I’ve been with Gervonta since the amateurs and now we’re at the level where he’s that guy. I’m looking to see Gervonta put his stamp on his brand as a fighter.
“The fight is going to depend on what [Hector Luis] Garcia wants to do. Garcia had [former 140-pound champion and Davis opponent] Mario Barrios in his camp and I’m sure he got some pointers from him. I know he’s at a gym with great sparring, so he’s definitely getting a lot of looks. But we don’t know if he can do it inside the ring on the night.”
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