If Hector Luis Garcia’s upset of super prospect Chris Colbert last February wasn’t the 2022 Upset of the year, it sure rates among the very top.
Despite an extensive amateur career and a spot in the 2016 Olympic games representing the Dominican Republic, Garcia was a relative unknown when he took the replacement opponent slot against Colbert with less than three weeks notice.
The rest, as they say, is history. Garcia would go on to dominate Colbert en route to a one-sided unanimous decision. Six months later, he’d beat Roger Gutierrez for the WBA super featherweight title, capping off a remarkable year that saw the poised and crafty boxer go very far in a very short period of time.
Now, Garcia stands on the precipice of becoming a 2-division world champ as he faces 5-time, 3-division world titlist and box office star Gervonta “Tank” Davis atop a Showtime PPV event for Davis’ WBA lightweight title. With characteristic nonchalance, the 31-year-old the native of San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic spoke at his media workout about the task at hand.
“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 told the assembled media. “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.”
Once again an underdog walking into a big opportunity of a fight, Garcia knows what a victory on Saturday would mean to his career.
“A victory against ‘Tank’ will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the world,” he 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.”
In his heart and mind, the undefeated WBA super featherweight champ is inspired by the support of his countrymen back home and is eager to bring them another world title.
“Everyone back home will be watching this fight, so I want to make them proud with a great performance,” Garcia declared. “Right now, the Dominican Republic is making big news in boxing. (WBA Super Lightweight World champion) Alberto Puello is a world champion and Carlos Adames will be soon. All of us are family and we love the support we get from our people back home. Fighters from the Dominican Republic are on the rise and we are here to stay.”
Garcia, however, will be facing an extremely tough task when he faces Davis this Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. “Tank” Davis is regarded as one of the very best fighters, pound-for-pound, in the world, blessed with jarring one-punch power. Many see the 28-year-old as, perhaps, the biggest puncher, pound-for-pound, in the sport right now. Proof of that fight-ending power is the fact that Davis has stopped 17 of his last 18 opponents (and 25 of 27, overall).
The underdog will have to execute the perfect game plan to edge rounds and avoid a Davis kill shot along the way. It is, indeed, a monumental task and not many think he can pull off the upset.
Garcia, however, has stared down monumental tasks before and has come out on top.
