SAN ANTONIO — Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe nearly came to blows at Wednesday's open workouts. However, things were completely different on Thursday at the press conference from the Alamodome, where the 139-pound catchweight affair takes place, which you can watch live and exclusively worldwide on DAZN .
Instead of fists about to fly, Garcia and Tagoe were respectful towards one another.
"Sometimes emotions rile up, and you get a little ready to go, but at the end of the day, I got respect for him," Garcia said when asked about Wednesday's incident.
"He's a man. I'm a man. We're gonna do our thing in the ring come Saturday night."
"I wanted to show Ryan Garcia, I'm more than ready," Tagoe said in response.
"I'm already ready. I can't wait for Saturday because I'm here to showcase myself. I'm here to prove to everyone that I'm the best. I use Ryan Garcia to showcase myself to prove to everyone and see that I'm the best."
During the buildup, Tagoe says that Garcia isn't ready for the Ghana Pepper. The 33-year-old vows that Garcia will see it inside the ring on fight night.
"I think everybody (is) going to see the Ghana Pepper," Tagoe said.
"Ryan Garcia, he gonna see the Ghana Pepper. Sometimes if you walk outside, you get fresh. You talk anyhow; if you enter a ring, you start feeling the heat. Now you see the pepper. I think Saturday night everybody gonna see (it).
"Everybody talks about how Ryan Garcia is good. I respect Ryan Garcia a lot. By Saturday night, he feels very bad. I promise you. I promise everyone."
Garcia had a good response for Tagoe and reminded him that he's used to spicy things.
"One thing to say about the Ghana Pepper. He forgot that I'm Mexican. We got all the spice," Garcia said.
"I've been eating spicy stuff my whole life. Ghana Pepper gonna do nothing to me. I got jalapenos. We do that all day. No Ghana Pepper here. Let's get it."