Erdenebat Tsendbaatar has quickly learned that even negative publicity is still publicity.
Accusations have swirled that the two-time Olympian for Mongolia was the mole inside the training camp of Ryan Garcia, who suffered a seventh-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in their April 22 super fight in Las Vegas. The talk began when Tsendbaatar posted a video on Sunday morning, alleging that he hurt Garcia with a body shot during a recent sparring session.
Following’s Garcia’s public claim that the unbeaten Mongolian southpaw was leaking information to Davis’ camp, Tsendbaatar felt the need to clarify his previous claim.
“Hey King Ryan, my bro! My last post, I used [Google] translate,” Tsendbaatar posted on his Instagram account on Monday. “The translation was incorrect and confusing. My apologies.
“Who is [the] Mole? What are you talking about? I am not mole. I don’t even speak English. I don’t even like Tank. I will fight him and KO him in the future.”
The rumors swirled in the aftermath of Garcia’s first career defeat, which came after a contentious but entertaining buildup to this past weekend’s Showtime Pay-Per-View event. Baltimore’s Davis (29-0, 27KOs) previously claimed during a media workout that he had spies in his opponent’s camp, though most chalked up the talk as the unbeaten knockout artist simply playing mind games.
That conversation quickly grew legs when Tsendbaatar (5-0, 3KOs)—hilarilously known in his circles as "Chinggis Khaan"—posted a video apologizing for injuring Garcia with a body shot during a previous sparring session. The timing was hardly coincidental; the video was posted the morning after the fight and just four days ahead of the 26-year-old lightweight’s upcoming fight versus Mexico’s Edy Valencia this Thursday on DAZN from Sony Hall in New York City.
The fight would normally fly under the radar. The matchup is not particularly competitive and is merely the next step in the deliberate career start for the two-time Olympic quarterfinalist, who lost to Shakur Stevenson just prior to the medal round in 2016 Rio and to eventual Gold medalist Artur Batyrgaziev in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Tsenbaatar’s appearance in Tokyo came as he already began his pro career, having twice fought in China. He has since fought twice in Moscow before making his way stateside. He trains out of Manny Robles’ Legends Boxing Academy in Norwalk, California, and fights in the U.S. for the second straight time.
There is still a significant growth period ahead for the rising young lightweight, though his name has trended more than ever in his young career. He may not like the reasons but can at least expect an expanded audience for his scheduled eight-round developmental fight this week.
While he will welcome the new fans, Tsendbaatar is not interested in a rivalry with Garcia. In fact, he would love nothing more than to do a solid for his previous sparring mate.
“During our sparring, I tried to help you and sparred Tank style boxing,” noted Tsendbaatar, whose squat stature and physicality was a perfect fit to prepare for the compact Davis. “I was cheering for you to win against Tank.
“You are great boxer. But Next time try to learn from sparring and hopefully you will not get hit by the same punch during the fight. Good luck to you and God bless.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox