Can Hector Luis Garcia do it again?
The Dominican stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing rising star Chris Colbert in February and then did the same against Roger Gutierrez to win a 130-pound title in August, completing a breakthrough year for the 2016 Olympian.
He faces an even bigger challenge at 135-pounds on pay-per-view Saturday in Washington, D.C.: Gervonta Davis.
“Davis in my opinion is a top pound-for-pound fighter and one of the biggest punchers in boxing, so I know going into this fight that I’m an underdog,” Garcia said. “Not a lot of people are giving me a chance in this fight, but that’s what motivates me. I was in the same situation going into the Colbert fight, but this time I had a real training camp.
“I believe my style will give ‘Tank’ problems. I’m a southpaw with many tricks, and I will be using all of them when I step in the ring on January 7.”
Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) will have to use all of them against Davis, who is a significant step up from Colbert.
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is one of the best boxers in the world and a knockout artist. The latter can’t be said for Colbert, who didn’t have the punching power to give the hard-charging Garcia a reason to back off.
Plus, Garcia will be moving up in weight for the fight. He fought at 126 as recently as December 2020.
That’s why Garcia is around a 10-1 underdog (average of multiple betting outlets). And it’s why a victory would be all the more meaningful for the 31-year-old.
If Garcia has his hand raised Saturday, he will have transitioned from a relative unknown to a two-division champion and conqueror of one of the sport’s biggest stars in a span of only three fights.
“A victory against ‘Tank’ will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the world,” Garcia said. “I already believe that in my own mind, but the world will realize how good I am after this fight. I didn’t get here by myself. I want to thank my team for all their support.
“Getting this fight has changed my life forever, but winning it will do wonders for everyone on my team.”
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