Gervonta Davis taking nothing for granted against Hector Luis Garcia
Gervonta Davis is confident but he’s not stupid.
The unbeaten lightweight contender saw what Hector Luis Garcia did against Chris Colbert early this year. He wants to be certain he doesn’t suffer a similar fate when he meets the Dominican on pay-per-view Jan. 7 in Washington, D.C.
Garcia, relatively unknown at the time, stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing Colbert last February before defeating Roger Gutierrez to win a junior lightweight title.
“Hector is a sound fighter who’s beat some top guys,” said Davis, who’s coming off a sixth-round knockout of Rolando Romero in May. “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.”
Indeed, Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) can be seen as a stepping stone in that Davis and Ryan Garcia have agreed to meet in a super fight next year but he’s not a pushover.
The 2016 Olympian is a skillful, experienced boxer with an aggressive style that can wear down even an elite opponent, as we saw in the Colbert fight.
The problem for Hector Luis Garcia might be two-fold: He’s moving up in weight and Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) punches a lot harder than Colbert does, which can be a deterrent to any hard charging opponent.
Still, Davis doesn’t plan to rush anything.
“I know that someone like Garcia isn’t just someone stepping in,” Davis said. “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.”
No one has more confidence in Davis than longtime trainer Calvin Ford.
Ford also respects Garcia but believes his popular protégé is ready to soar, against both of the Garcias and beyond.
“We’ve got a tough task,” Ford said of the Jan. 7 bout. “This fight is more mental than physical. I think it’s similar to the Jose Pedraza fight (TKO 7) because 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.”