Did the fight deliver? This fight was one of the most anticipated fights of the year and had the potential to be a classic considering both fighters were young, undefeated, and had contrasting and aggressive styles. So the expectation was a constant back-and-forth battle and a certain level of drama was expected in the fight with both fighters going to canvas, which would have made this fight a classic and career-defining moment for both fighters when history would be revisited. So in that terms, I feel the fight fell short and didn’t quite live up to its expectation from the competitive standpoint. The fight pretty much was one-sided from start to finish. However from an event standpoint, it certainly did deliver, had celebrities out for this one, legends with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson and all the current active champs made it to the event, so it was a mega event. It would be intriguing to know how many PPV buys the fight did.
Where does Ryan Garcia go from here:- I have immense respect for Ryan for taking this fight. Any other fighter in his place would not have taken this fight due to the rehydration clause. Haney mentioned he would only fight Tank if there is no rehydration clause. Ryan could have easily done the same, so in that aspect we need to give Ryan props for taking this fight, giving the fans and the sport of boxing a much-needed big event. This is what sport needed at this point. Ryan Garcia was daring to be great, at such an early stage of his career. Also, the way he conducted himself after the fight, gave Tank his props for being the better fighter and did not make any excuse about his loss which speaks volumes about Ryan Garcia and how carries himself as a fighter.
Once he goes back and breaks down the fight on what did he do wrong, he would realize that there are levels to this and Tank at the moment is levels above Ryan. He was outmatched in every department, be it in power, skill, speed or timing. Ryan Garcia would have learnt a lot about himself. One thing that needs immediate attention is his defense. Feels like as soon as he let his hands go, he immediately lets his guard down, does a rookie mistake and forgets about the basic principle in boxing “Protect Yourself at All Times” He goes in that Amir Khan mode, who used to fight similarly, had blurring hand speed but as soon as he would let his hands go, would be open for a counter and would get knocked out and didn’t have a great chin which led to his downfall. Ryan Garcia has to avoid that, he is still young and has a lot of years left in the sport, should dedicate himself to the sport in learning the craft and stick with Joe Gossen who could improve that part of his game immensely. Ryan Garcia has inexperience which showed in the Tank fight, which he will gain as he continues to fight.
His offense is another part of his game which needs attention. He relied heavily on his left hook in this fight and so far in his career, it has worked until it didn’t. Could find his timing with his left hook and was unable to land on Tank, and once Tank was able to negate his left hook, Ryan Garcia was made to look ordinary. This is where Ryan needs to add more tools to his offensive arsenal. He needs to work on going to the body more. Doesn’t get enough leverage on his right hand when he throws, even in the exchange where he was stopped with the body shot, if you see carefully, he also landed his right hand in the exchange on Tank when he ate the body shot but since he doesn’t have any leverage on that shot, it doesn’t do any damage. There were multiple occurrences in the fight where that right hand from Ryan did find the target but considering there was no power behind it, Tank didn’t respect it and was able to move forward. This is one aspect of his style where he needs to work on his power and how to generate enough pop when he throws his right so that it keeps the fighters at bay and makes them respect his power.
It’s the rebuilding process for Ryan Garcia at the moment. I don’t see him competing at 135 anymore and he confirmed that he is done at 135, so the next obvious step for him is the 140 division which is a dangerous weight class as well. So in my opinion, he should go for a few tune-ups fight at 140, get his confidence back, work on improving his skills and implementing those in those fights, then there is one particular fight which would make a lot of sense for Ryan Garcia and would also show whether does he even belong at 140 against the likes of Prograis, Taylor and that is the Rolly Romero fight, I think that fight would make sense for both fighters, now that they both share a common opponent whom they lost to. Ryan should be focused on that fight and then take his career forward from there.
Where does Tank go from here:- Sky is the limit for Tank at the moment. He is a certified star. Always delivers under bright light. It is a career-defining win for him. The fact that he made it look easy shows there are levels to this game. Before this fight, I used to think the matchups between Tank-Haney/Loma and Tank-Shakur would go in favour of Haney, Loma and Shakur considering Tank can easily be outboxed and he would have trouble landing on the likes of Haney, Loma, Shakur. But since the Rolly fight and now Ryan, that thought has kind of died down for me, I feel Tank is constantly showing that he is just not a murderous puncher, is an excellent boxer as well, takes his time, doesn’t rush with his punches, is excellent at setting traps to land his counters, you ain’t getting up from that left-hand counter, has a great right hook which can stop any lightweights, and now the fact that he is hurting solid guys with body shots and stopping them did with Barrios and now Ryan, goes to show he is working on to be a complete fighter and he is not far off.
Previously I would have favoured Haney, Loma and Shakur over Tank but not anymore, if I had to favour anyone in those fights, I would lean towards Tank. He was right when asked about Shakur, all those boxing and what happens when I land. I think he lands on all those names mentioned and once he lands we all know what happens. His power is different and unreal for a lightweight, as a lightweight you are not supposed to punch like that. Also, you will have to watch Haney-Loma on 20th May and revisit this argument on how good they look and how it plays out for the winner of that fight against Tank, this is the only fight that makes sense for Tank and any other names if he intends to fight is a step backwards for his career.
Is he the face of boxing? He has the skillset and stardom to be that guy but his resume isn’t there yet in my opinion. There are guys like Fury, Canelo and Joshua from star value and Resume Wise who have better accomplishments than Tank and that’s why I wouldn’t call Tank the face of boxing yet. However he is not far off from that claim, as he has said that he wants the winner of Haney/Loma next and Shakur, if he wins those fights, then it’s unquestionable that he is the face of boxing. Also, beating the winner of Haney/Loma and Shakur not only makes him the face of boxing but also makes him P4p best fighter in the world.
Stop mocking fighters once they lose their undefeated record:- The backlash fighters get once they lose their O these days is crazy. From being capable of beating their opponent to being no good, he is a YouTuber, and he is overhyped are some common insults you will find on Twitter and the transition happens instantly within hours. This is one of a reason why these big fights are not happening and the best are not fighting each other. The aftermath that follows once a fighter loses is maddening. Look at what’s happened since Ryan lost, a certain section of fans are calling him a quitter saying that he should have gotten up and continued the fight. As if they know what it feels like to get hit by a Tank. Some say he was never good, was overhyped and that he is a Youtuber and so forth. Criticism of a fighter’s performance once he loses is one thing but ridiculing fighters with all sorts of insults is making a mockery of the sport. Back in the day wins or loses, fighters were appreciated for fighting each other irrespective of the outcome which I think is missing. This is one of the reasons why sport suffers and fighters with undefeated records don’t want to take that risk because of the aftermath that follows. Thanks to fighters like Ryan who was daring to be great, despite all the obligations, wanted to test his skills against another great fighter and fell short. It’s not the end. He is still young and already a star has an immense fanbase and has the potential to bounce back and redefine his legacy.
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