Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, is happy Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia was booked and states that Ryan Garcia made the fight happen despite initial hesitations from Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, is pleased with the booking of Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, considering the live gate is already in Nevada’s top-10 and has a “sky is the limit” pay-per-view estimation. Ellerbe is assisting Davis, while Garcia is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, who is Mayweather and Ellerbe’s longtime rival. It seemed unlikely that “Tank” and Garcia would face each other in the ring due to the rivalry, but Ellerbe credits Garcia for making the 136-pound catchweight fight become a reality on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Ellerbe acknowledges the difficulty they faced in working out the details, but commends Ryan Garcia for agreeing to all terms that were negotiated. The agreement, however, had one stipulation which was a network-related matter, eventually resolved through Showtime executive Steven Espinoza. Ellerbe believes the timing for these two young boxers to come together couldn’t be better, as they are in the prime of their careers, making it the “biggest fight in all of boxing right now.”
Despite Oscar De La Hoya’s public display of Garcia signing the contract to face the unbeaten Davis earlier this year, Ellerbe claims De La Hoya had little actual interest in securing the deal behind the scenes, stating, “I know that for a fact.” Ellerbe’s opinion is that De La Hoya may not believe that Ryan Garcia can win. Now that Ellerbe and De La Hoya are in business together, albeit reluctantly due to past disputes, they are working together to promote the fight.
In closing, Leonard Ellerbe expressed confidence in Gervonta Davis, believing he will be the face of boxing regardless of the challenges faced in getting him and Ryan Garcia into the ring.