Ask any boxer — as in any fighter — how would he prefer getting hit: A blow to the head or a shot to the body?
I previously asked this question some time ago and got the same answer.
Nobody wanted to receive a solid punch to the body.
“You get paralyzed. Even if you still wanted to continue fighting, the pain won’t allow you to get up and beat the count of the referee,” said one guy who was a key figure for Philippine boxing in the 1990s until the early-2000s.
It’s not because he suffered the same fate as Ryan Garcia a few days ago in his marquee lightweight matchup with Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Actually, he was the guy who scored that knockout win using a shot to the ribcage of his foe.
The pain — the overall feeling — is like no other.
“It prevents you from doing what you like. Because the pain stops you from moving. It shuts you down,” said another high-profile fighter.
“I’d rather get struck in the head than get hit in the body because a perfect shot will bring down even the best… even a great fighter,” he added.
What makes a body blow devastating is its sheer impact.
Davis’ liver shot on Garcia didn’t look like a big one.
But the slo-mo replay showed otherwise.
A split-second after that lethal left by Davis, Garcia grimaced, backed away, stuck his left hand in an effort to slow down Davis.
It’s not yet the end of the world.
Then he sank on one knee.
He could have gotten up but the pain had spread all over his body and it was too late when he got up as the referee had reached the count of ten.
There were those who criticized Garcia for not getting up in time.
Most probably, they are bandwagoners and fan boys who just became interested in the sport during the Manny Pacquiao era.
But for those in the know, they all knew the ending was legit.
In fairness, there was no shame in Garcia’s challenge.
Remember, he wasn’t running away from Davis and was in fact doing all the chasing.
He threw bombs but just couldn’t hit the target.
There was bad intentions on his part but Davis was just too good for him.
Even when he got floored, Garcia wasn’t discouraged and still pressed the attack in the ensuing action.
The bottomline was that he lacked the experience and a bit more fundamentals.
All is not lost, though.
Clearly, Garcia came to fight.
Look at what happened in the second round when Davis sent him crashing with a counter left to the jaw.
Garcia quickly got up on his feet.
He will be back.
It’s not yet the end of the world.
