After Ryan Garcia’s defeat to Gervonta Davis, Conor McGregor provided words of comfort and encouragement to the young American boxer, emphasizing that he is the future of the sport.
Garcia (23-1), was defeated by knockout for the first time in his burgeoning career by compatriot Davis (29-0, with 27 KOs) in a catchweight, non-title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Both fighters put their undefeated records on the line but the 24-year-old was counted out after ‘Tank’ landed a punishing left counter-punch to his ribcage in the seventh round, which saw rapper Drake win big after betting on a Davis win.
After the bout, Garcia expressed his hope for a rematch with Davis, 28, who has won five world titles across three weight classes.
And UFC superstar Conor McGregor delivered a passionate speech to ‘The Flash’ in his dressing room, offering consolation after the loss.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor (pictured) insisted Ryan Garcia is ‘the future’ of boxing as he consoled the American after the first defeat of his career against Gervonta Davis on Saturday
Rising star Garcia (left), 24, was counted out after a brutal body shot from ‘Tank’ in Las Vegas
‼️ Conor McGregor giving support to Ryan Garcia in his dressing room after the Gervonta Davis defeat: "I wanna see it again, and I wanna see it with no rehydration clause."
[🎥 @RyanGarcia] pic.twitter.com/OtBlehNBjM
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 23, 2023
He said: ‘He’s 1-0 on you, you two are the biggest names in the division. I want to see it again.
‘I wanna see it again now, and I wanna see it with no rehydration clause, seriously. You know what I mean?
‘Mate, all the respect in the world to you, you’re the future. The future is there, I’ll be watching you all the way. All the best, God bless.’
The pair had agreed to a 136-pound weight limit, one more than the lightweight limit, despite Garcia’s last two fights coming at 140.
Despite this, a ‘rehydration clause’ was also added, limiting the amount of weight either fighter could put on after the weigh-in on Friday afternoon and the morning of the fight.
It is felt that clause could have disproportiately affected Garcia, who is used to fighting at a higher weight than Davis.
Afterwards, Garcia said: ‘I just couldn’t recover. Snuck under me and caught me good. I was going to get back up, but I just couldn’t get up.’
Before he added on Twitter: ‘Nothing like fighting one of the best! Hopefully one day we can run it back!’
After the fight, ‘KingRy’ outlined his hope for a rematch against ‘one of the best’ Davis (left)
