Oscar De La Hoya has a unique understanding of what it’s like to suffer your first defeat in a mega-fight.
From what Ryan Garcia’s promoter has seen, he is convinced that the 24-year-old fighter has the right mental makeup to get back in the gym as soon as possible and start correcting the mistakes that cost him against Gervonta Davis. De La Hoya praised Garcia’s performance versus Davis and expressed optimism regarding Garcia’s future in the 140-pound division during a recent interview posted to FightHype’s YouTube channel.
“Ryan, you know, was doing great,” De La Hoya said. “Got caught with a body shot. It happens. Gervonta Davis fought a great, amazing fight, and on to the next. You know, I think our plans we have for Ryan Garcia are great plans that will get him back to the top and, you know, Ryan Garcia will continue to get better, to, you know, learn from mistakes. But that’s what boxing’s all about. You win some, you lose some. But as long as you can grow from it and become a better fighter, then you’re doing something right.”
Baltimore’s Davis dropped Garcia twice on his way to winning their 136-pound bout by seventh-round knockout April 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Baltimore’s Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) caught Garcia with a short, counter left hand on the inside that sent Garcia to the seat of his trunks with 1:01 on the clock in the second round. Garcia got up almost immediately from that punch, but he couldn’t beat referee Thomas Taylor’s count after Davis’ left to his body made Garcia take a knee with 1:30 to go in the seventh round.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, announced during his post-fight press conference that he will move back up to the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds for his next fight. De La Hoya hopes Garcia can return to the ring sometime in August, but he didn’t mention potential opponents for Garcia’s next bout.
“The Golden Boy” knows what Garcia will experience when he returns to the gym. The 50-year-old De La Hoya remembers how difficult it was to deal with his first loss – a controversial 12-round, majority-decision defeat to rival Felix Trinidad in September 1999.
“The advice would be to just – look, you’re as good as your last fight,” De La Hoya said. “That’s the bottom line. So, as long as you can get a win, a decisive win in your next fight, everything is erased. That’s just the way boxing is. This was no easy fight for both guys. It was a great matchup. You know, you win some, you lose some, but there’s no shame in fighting the very best and giving a great performance.
“And if you lose, you lose. It’s no – you just shake it off and move on to the next. That’s what fighters have to understand. If you give it your all and you fight hard, it’s OK. You’re gonna lose and you’re gonna win if you’re fighting the very best. That’s what fighting the best is all about.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
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