Oscar De La Hoya has warned Ryan Garcia to prioritise “conserving his energy” ahead of Saturday’s fight with his rival Gervonta Davis.
Their long-term rivalry will finally be settled on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on an occasion significantly bigger than either fighter has ever previously known.
What could yet represent both of their defining fights is generating widespread interest beyond the boxing community, and De La Hoya, the highest profile fighter of his era and therefore a veteran of several fights of a similar size, is aware of the toll that that can take.
Garcia, the naturally bigger fighter, is also under greater pressure to make the 136lb catchweight they have agreed at a time when there will also be demands on both fighters to continue to promote Saturday’s date and mind games with which to contend.
Perhaps only the sought-after match-ups between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford and Errol Spence are capable of generating greater interest, and De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter, said: “It’s all about conserving your energies now.
“It’s the fight of the year. It’s the best versus the best. You’ve got two young guys – two undefeated guys – who really wanna win, so we’re gonna see who’s going to win Saturday night, it’s going to be a good fight. A really good fight.
“I love Gervonta, but let’s go Ryan. I got Ryan by knockout. It’s going to end in a knockout.”
