Gervonta Davis was never quite interested in fighting Ryan Garcia. It wasn’t because he was unnerved over the idea of facing him but Davis saw nothing special about the widely popular fighter. Garcia’s speed is blinding and his power is eye-catching but Davis believed he lacked substance to go along with all that flash. 

Throughout it all, Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) continued to scream and shout in Davis’ direction. Ultimately, his over-the-top trash talk got under the skin of his man. So, in short order, Davis dared him to put his money where his mouth was. This past April, the Baltimore native proved that Garcia was bloviating over the years as he violently stopped his man in the seventh round. 

It was a wake-up call for Garcia. His showdown against Davis wasn’t competitive and didn’t end the way he always envisioned. The California native has since revamped his team and has been training under the watchful eye of Derrick James. 

After spending a few months together, Garcia believes he’s ready to get back out there. Officially, he’ll return to the ring on December 2nd, against Oscar Duarte. 

Plenty of eyes will be locked in on the 25-year-old, Bernard Hopkins being one of them. For the Hall of Fame former champ, Garcia, presumably, has a ton of time left in the sport. However, if he looks horrific in the first week of December, Hopkins may recommend that he hangs up the gloves for good. 

“I will see how he looks in this fight to make my personal decision on whether he should fight again,” Hopkins told FightHype.com recently. 

If Garcia was looking for a relatively soft touch, he won’t find that in Duarte. For 11 consecutive fights, the 27-year-old has given his opponents a dirt nap. Still, Duarte’s recent form won’t be used as an excuse for Hopkins if Garcia doesn't pick up the win. 

In his view, not only does Garcia have to be successful, but he has to send a reverberating message throughout the rest of the boxing world. 

“Ryan got a statement to make next month.”