Garcia vs Davis: Will Fans get the Fight They Have Been Asking for?

Source: Amanda Westcott/ DAZN

Following Ryan Garcia’s tough victory against the U.K.’s Luke Campbell, in which the Instagram star was knocked down for the first time in his career, the interim WBC lightweight Champ called out TMT fighter Gervonta “Tank” Davis. "I really want to be a man of my word. I really want to fight Tank. I know people are worried about it [happening], but I'm ready for it." Garcia said in a post-fight interview with DAZN while still in the ring.

However, a few weeks after the fight, those words seem to have fallen flat as there are now multiple reports of Garcia fighting legend Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao. In a recent video posted by Garcia to Instagram, the 22-year-old stated that both fighters had agreed to face each other in their next bout and that it would be a 12-round contest, not an exhibition.

Garcia appeared on Mike Tyson’s podcast “Hotboxin” on Jan 13 where he first mentioned the idea of fighting Pac-Man to the legendary heavyweight, “If there is anybody I could get in the ring with before I go, it’s Manny Pacquiao,” Garcia told Tyson. Since then the fight has seemed to pick up steam while the prospect of Garcia fighting Davis has plummeted in return.

Despite the constant trash talk from both Garcia and Davis, Garcia seems to be set on the Pacquiao fight as his next bout. That being said, this fight would be a huge leap for Garcia as far as competition goes. Up until Campbell, many in the boxing world were questioning Garcia’s skills as he had yet to face any difficult opponent.

For Garcia, facing a legend like Pacquiao, a champion in 8 different weight divisions, would be about as big of a fight as the young champ could get. Pacquiao is still one of the biggest names in boxing and the fight would bring massive legitimacy towards Garcia's record.

While fans might not get to see the Garcia vs. Davis fight right away, Garcia has stated that he will push for that fight immediately after the bout with Pacquiao.