Oscar De La Hoya insists Ryan Garcia’s defeat to Gervonta Davis was partly a result of the concessions that were granted during their negotiations.
The founder of Golden Boy Promotions has long insisted that Garcia, his star client, was severely disadvantaged by the rehydration clause that Davis’ side requested heading into the fighters’ 136-pound bout last month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That clause prevented both fighters from weighing in however much they wanted after the weigh-in. Many, however, believed the weight cap hurt Garcia more because he is the physically bigger fighter.
Davis, 28, ended up stopping Garcia, 24, in the seventh round with a body shot; he had Garcia down in the second round with a counter left hand.
While De La Hoya’s distaste for the rehydration condition was well known heading into the Davis-Garcia, the Hall of Fame fighter and promoter suggested in a recent interview that he was not able to exert his influence on the negotiations as much as he would have liked.
“The weight drain was a big issue,” De La Hoya told FightHubTV. “It was a huge issue.
“If I was negotiating this fight on my terms, that would have never happened because for Ryan Garcia to fight at 136, at the catchweight they agreed upon, even one pound makes a huge difference. And then having to weigh in the next day and come under 10 pounds was a huge factor.”
It is not clear if De La Hoya was taking aim at handlers for Garcia or representatives for Davis. Garcia is advised by Guadalupe Valencia; Garcia is backed by Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions.
De La Hoya otherwise praised Davis for his performance, while insisting that Garcia needs to "re-arrange" his inner circle and dedicate himself to the gym.
“You saw a superior Tank Davis. He was focused, he was fresh, he was tunnel-vision, he had the perfect game plan. They had studied Ryan Garcia.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.
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