Davis vs. Garcia
Here is what Davis, along with his longtime trainer Calvin Ford, had to say Wednesday from the 5th Street Gym in Miami:
GERVONTA DAVIS
“Héctor Luis Garcia is talking about getting the knockout, but we know he can just say that and end up fighting a different way. We don’t really know what’s going to happen until we get into the ring.
“I’m just locked in through the holidays. I’ll do some stuff with my kids, but other than that I’m totally committed to this fight and training for it.
“Going into a fight, any opponent is dangerous. He’s training hard and I know that someone like [Héctor Luis] Garcia isn’t just someone stepping in. He’s been training for me for a long time.
“I can’t just go in there and try to knock everyone out right away. I have to show that I have more than just punching power. I have skills to go along with my boxing IQ.
“Héctor is a sound fighter who’s beat some top guys. He’s a durable guy who’s coming to fight. He’s undefeated and he’s a great opponent. You can’t sleep on him. If you’re sleeping on him, he might put you to sleep.
“Every fight is a steppingstone toward what I want to do. I feel as though this fight with Héctor is an important piece in all of it. I have to put on a good performance so that everybody knows that this is in their future.
“I think Ryan Garcia’s being lazy not taking a fight before our fight. I don’t know. When he was coming up, he was in the gym and everything and now he’s got some money and a little bit of fame and he’s partying and stuff like that. It happens to the majority of us, but it’s up to him to tighten up before it’s too late.
“I am hoping that the Ryan Garcia fight will open up doors for everyone to make more big fights. It also shows that I’m not ducking anybody.”
CALVIN FORD, Davis’ Trainer
“We’ve got a tough task. This fight is more mental than physical. I think it’s similar to the Jose Pedraza fight because [Héctor Luis] Garcia is also an undefeated Olympian who’s a world champion. We’re just ready to go to that next level.
“I’ve been with Gervonta since the amateurs and now we’re at the level where he’s that guy. I’m looking to see Gervonta put his stamp on his brand as a fighter.
“The fight is going to depend on what Héctor Luis Garcia wants to do. Garcia had [former 140-pound champion and Davis opponent] Mario Barrios in his camp and I’m sure he got some pointers from him. I know he’s at a gym with great sparring, so he’s definitely getting a lot of looks. But we don’t know if he can do it inside the ring on the night.”
The pay-per-view telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features unbeaten rising star Jaron “Boots” Ennis returning to action to take on the IBF No.4-rated welterweight Karen Chukhadzhian for the Interim IBF Welterweight Title in the co-main event, while unbeaten welterweight contender Rashidi Ellis faces the hard-hitting Roiman Villa in a high-octane 12-round duel. Kicking off the pay-per-view telecast is undefeated two-division world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade stepping into the ring for a 10-round super middleweight clash against Laurel, Maryland-native Demond Nicholson.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by GTD Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and capitalonearena.com. The Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian bout is promoted in association with D&D Boxing.
