By
«I was close to getting up for sure,» Ryan Garcia told the assembled media following his knockout loss to Tank Davis on Saturday night in Las Vegas. “I have no excuses. I just couldn’t get up. Though close, the Davis-Garcia fight was mostly dominated by multi-titlist Davis. Still, there was no question that Garcia had the moments of him. Ultimately, it was a perfect left to the liver that ended things for Garcia. A delayed reaction knockdown resulted in the popular Californian being unable to get to his feet before the referee counted to 10. At the post fight press conference, however, Garcia made it clear that he felt it was time to move on.
“I go to 140 (junior welterweight),” he said when asked what was next. «I feel much stronger at 140». Since Saturday’s fight was held at a catch weight of 136 pounds, Garcia was asked if the subsequent rehydration rule had any impact on his performance. “I really can’t pin it too much,” he said. «It is what it is. I signed the contract.» Garcia went on to give some props to his conqueror. «I think he’s someone who’s just a little more disciplined with me,» Garcia said of Davis. “I didn’t play smart. I started getting bored in there.
Suffice to say, it’s not advisable to get bored sharing a ring with Gervonta Davis. «I definitely messed up,» Garcia said. Once again, however, the man seemed to be looking to the future. «I intend to go back whenever I can,» he said. «Three months, I think so, and I’ll be back.» With all that said, Garcia indicated that there really wasn’t any bad blood between him and Davis, that the chatter leading up to the fight had all been about getting inside his opponent’s head before the opening bell.
«It was nothing personal,» Garcia said. «I hope to get a rematch one day.»