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“Gervonta did what he had to do, man, he won the fight, but I was looking for Ryan. But he gave up, man. I feel like he’s given up. I feel that he should have done what he had to do to win the fight. When we fall, we have to get up. We must ask God for that victory. But I feel that’s what he should have done. I still feel Ryan should have done more. He should have risked his life more. He should have risked his life more.’ Those words, from the mouth of former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titlist Andy Ruiz, were spoken after Garcia was knocked unconscious by a body shot from Gervonta Davis during their superfight on Saturday.
Ruiz may have spoken up in the heat of the moment, as he himself admitted to pulling for Garcia. Yet Ruiz wasn’t the only notable fighter to be critical of Garcia, who was conscious on one knee while being counted out this weekend. Former WBC cruiserweight titlist Tony Bellew was also unimpressed that Garcia didn’t beat the count. “You have to get up! Do it once and you’ll do it again!” Bellew warned. Former IBF junior welterweight titlist Ishe Smith was even more forthright. «He fucking quit,» Smith said of Garcia.
Yet even Garcia had his advocates. «For anyone who thinks Ryan Garcia has quit,» legendary broadcaster Al Bernstein said on social media. “I have this to say. He was knocked down early by a very big punch from a big boxer, he got up and continued to fight for 4 more rounds. When he was hit with a debilitating blow to the body he could not continue. Period. How is that equivalent to quitting? Bernstein makes a good point. It’s easy to criticize a fighter, especially if you’ve never been in the ring yourself. Also, Ryan Garcia was the only person in the world to feel Davis starch landed on him, so only he may or may not indicate the level of debilitation the blow gave him.
Noted fight reporter Mike Coppinger also moved in to defend Garcia. “Ryan Garcia didn’t quit,” he argued, “far from it. He got up from a knockdown in the second round and then was crippled by a perfectly placed shot to the liver from an elite fighter. Garcia now returns to 140 as the biggest star in the division where more big fights await.