Ryan Garcia refused to call for a fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis after beating Emmanuel Tagoe live on DAZN on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old American made his return against the experienced Ghanaian after 15 months out of the ring and went the distance after having his opponent in trouble on a couple of occasions.
While it was not quite vintage Garcia, it hinted that he is well on his way to a real comeback following problems with his mental health and hand surgery which forced his exit from the sport for over a year.
In the past an ebullient Garcia has pushed for big name fights in the aftermath of victories, facetime and apparently agreeing a fight with Davis in the past and then promoting a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Neither bout came to fruition, and in speaking to Chris Mannix after the fight he responded to a suggestion that Tank was the logical opponent either in his next fight or the one after.
“Thank you or all the fans in San Antonio. You guys are amazing. After a year off and going through the things you guys know I went through, I just want to say I’m so happy and thankful that you guys came out, you don’t even know,” he began.
“It means a lot, thank you guys so much.”
Turning to the prospect of Tank, he cautioned: “In the past, I’m always with the call out. I’ve grown, I’ve matured.
“I’m going to let my team handle it. I’m going to let my coaches... but when it’s on, it’s on. Right now I’m going to trust my team and we’re gonna move forward.”
Tank fights next on May 28 against Rolly Romero, in what could be his last fight under the Mayweather Promotions banner.