Lennox Lewis and Roy Jones Jr had identical reactions to Ryan Garcia’s performance against Gervonta Davis – and didn’t agree with a game plan that saw him dropped and stopped.
Garcia and Davis fought in Las Vegas in what was the biggest boxing event of the year so far, and may just go unbeaten in that respect. Following a tentative first round, the quick Garcia came out firing and attempted to take Davis down.
For a moment it looked like it was working – that is, if you’ve never seen ‘Tank’ fight before. He survived the swarm and landed a perfect counter left hook on Garcia’s chin, dropping the 24-year-old.
Garcia boxed more conservatively for the next four rounds before building up to courage to go for it again in the seventh. This time it was a body shot that send him down, and he wouldn’t be getting back up.
Watching the fight, former undisputed heavyweight champion, Lewis, said simply “You don’t follow a puncher!”
You don’t follow a puncher! #DavisGarcia
— Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@LennoxLewis) April 23, 2023
And another boxing great – Jones Jr – concurs. Breaking down the fight, he questioned why Garcia ‘would stalk a puncher.’
“If you’re not known for having a granite chin, why would you stalk a puncher?”
‘Tank’ is a boxer-puncher. His punch is just a tad bit better than his boxing, but his boxing ain’t bad either. It’s almost negotiable which one is better at the minute.”
“That said, why would you stalk a guy who you know can punch like a bull dog? If you stalk him, what’s going to happen is just what I said. He’ll catch you before you catch him, and the fight will be over within 6-9 rounds.”
“He fought the wrong fight, and that’s what happened.”
Davis continue on the path to super stardom – if he wasn’t already there – as Garcia licks his wounds. He’s yet to decide what the future looks like, but it likely involves a move up to 140lb.