Andrew Blitz
Former boxer Antonio Tarver believes that Gervonta Davis’ use of a rehydration clause and catchweight handicap to defeat Ryan Garcia was unnecessary and showed a lack of confidence in his own abilities. Tarver believes that Davis, who is known for his knockout power, should be able to win fights without resorting to such measures that could weaken his opponent. He questions whether it was Davis or his promotional team who came up with the idea to use the handicaps and feels that if it was the latter, Davis should have rejected the idea and stood up for himself.
Tarver argues that using such handicaps only adds unnecessary mental pressure on the opponent and can provide them with an excuse for defeat. He suggests that Davis should have simply fought Garcia at his natural weight and let his skills speak for themselves. Despite this criticism, Tarver does not want to take anything away from Davis’ win, but he feels that Davis is a better fighter than that and should not have used such tactics to gain an edge.
Tarver is one of many who wanted to avoid seeing a rehydration clause. In fact, former UFC Champion Conor McGregor would like see a rematch without a rehydration clause.
