Eddie Hearn is certain Gervonta Davis wants to fight Ryan Garcia.
The British promoter predicted that the unbeaten Baltimore native will knock out Garcia if their high-profile fight finally happens. Hearn called Davis-Garcia “a massive fight” and hopes that their competing promoters and platform executives can put it together for later this year.
It is incumbent upon Davis, according to Hearn, to make it happen now that Garcia has very publicly expressed his desire to face Davis next.
“You know who’s gonna have to make this fight? Tank,” Hearn told co-hosts Barak Bess and Akin Reyes during his weekly appearance on “The DAZN Boxing Show,” which debuted Tuesday. “Tank is the key to making this fight. Because if I’m Gervonta Davis, I’m coming out and I’m saying, ‘Right, all I keep hearing is this kid wants the fight. Well, I’m telling you now, I have no problem fighting him. So, let’s go and make the fight.’ ”
Hearn knows he’ll take criticism for commenting on negotiations in which he won’t be involved. That didn’t stop him from suggesting that Davis needs to better utilize his leverage and make it clear to his handlers that a lucrative fight against Garcia is the only bout that interests him, even if it means Mayweather Promotions and Showtime must collaborate with Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN on a joint pay-per-view venture.
“It’s gonna come down to Tank,” Hearn explained. “But some people might say to Tank, ‘Don’t worry about this, Tank. Like we got other plans. We got other plans. Like we’re gonna fight in December. We’re gonna do this and we’re gonna do that.’ Whereas Tank should be coming out now and going, ‘Hold on. Hold on. How much money is in this fight for me?’ And I’ll tell you the answer – an absolute fortune. Right? So, he should be going out now, in my opinion, and he’s the boss. Right? People work for him. So, whether it’s Mayweather Promotions, whether it’s TGB [Promotions], I don’t know who it is, they work for Gervonta Davis. Alright?
“As far as I’m concerned, the fighters need to come out and say, ‘That is the fight.’ If he really wants it, he needs to come out and say, ‘The only fight I’m interested in is Ryan Garcia. Now, go away you lot. Do your jobs and tell me how much money am I gonna make for that fight and when can it happen.’ Because networks should not be dominating the career and the decision-making process of a fighter, in my opinion, especially a fighter as valuable as Gervonta Davis. Those guys should be in the DMs to each other, going, ‘Listen, I’m in. This fight is massive. Let’s make it happen.’ ”
A bout between Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) is one of the most marketable matchups in boxing because the popularity of these rival knockout artists extends beyond the sport’s usual fan base.
Garcia, of Victorville, California, wants the fight at the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds. Hearn acknowledged that Davis isn’t a true 140-pounder, despite his 11th-round stoppage of Mario Barrios last year at that weight, but Matchroom Boxing’s chairman doesn’t think weight should prevent Davis and Garcia from fighting.
“I don’t see why that fight shouldn’t be made,” Hearn said. “You know, I know there’s been backwards and forwards between [DAZN’s] Joe Markowski and [Showtime’s Stephen] Espinoza. And like, obviously, it’s a split pay-per-view, it’s not my business, or whatever way they wanna do the fight. But why not?”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
