The long-overdue announcement for a fight between the two budding superstars, who have been at odds since the amateurs, has finally been made. Following years of constant back-and-forths between the two – mostly on social media, Gervonta Davis will now definitively face Ryan Garcia on April 22nd, in Las Vegas at a venue that has yet to be determined. PBC and Golden Boy – who respectively promote Davis and Garcia – officially announced the fight on their social media platforms.
There has been no shortage of insults hurled between the two fighters. Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KO’s), 28, is the current holder of the WBA ‘Regular’ world title – a ‘Regular’ title which confusedly is said to make one a world champion, but is relatively left obsolete when there is a ‘Super’ title in play – at 135 lbs. His last match was in the beginning of this year in January in which he beat opponent Hector Garcia (16-1, 10 KO’s) by technical knockout, subsequently handing Garcia his first loss. He now faces another Garcia – unrelated to Hector – in Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KO’s), 24, who is still undefeated and has been considered his rival since the two had properly settled into being professionals.
Davis, who is also remained unbeaten, has conquered world titles at lower weight classes, and his achievements come paired with a fearsome reputation revolved around mostly his power, as evident by his knockout ratio of 92%. In Ryan Garcia, he faces a fighter that has long been considered a prospect but is looking to make the next leap to be considered a worthy contender by beating Gervonta Davis.
Ryan Garcia’s only taste of a world title came by winning the WBC interim title at Lightweight after an emphatic victory against Luke Campbell, but that title was later vacated when he briefly took a hiatus from boxing citing mental health. Though the ‘Regular’ belt isn’t the full world title Garcia hopes to claim, winning it will leave him closer to winning an actual world title – or more – as it lands him an opportunity to face undisputed Lightweight champion – and holder of the WBA ‘Super’ title – Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KO’s).
Gervonta Davis has the opportunity to do the same, but has notoriously held onto the ‘Regular’ title since winning it when it was vacant against Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-5, 18 KO’s), but he notably never faced the ‘Super’ champion at the time, Vasyl Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KO’s). Davis also didn’t face the new holders of the title when it switched to Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KO’s), and then to George Kambosos between 2020 and 2021 before Devin Haney beat Kambosos to become the Lightweight division’s undisputed champion.
Though Davis is one of the most popular boxers in America, Ryan Garcia is the first opponent faces that is nearly as highly-rated as him. Though Garcia hasn’t had the same amount of accomplishments as Davis – who has moved up several times throughout his career, he is considered one of the best young fighters of the modern era, a sure-fire future world champion and a better opponent than all the fighters Davis has previously faced.
Despite Ryan Garcia’s lack of noteworthy accomplishments, he still faces immense pressure. Even with recent betting odds highly favoring Gervonta Davis to win, Garcia has made countless statements where he claimed he could knock Davis out. According to the standards he set for himself, he will now need to prove he is the fighter he says he is by defeating Davis which would allow him to supplant the already burgeoned reputation of the heavy hitter.
Their match, which will likely put Davis’ WBA title on the line, will potentially break grossing records judging by the popularity of both fighters in the States. With it taking place in Las Vegas, the fight will assuredly be one of the most-visited bouts in this decade, and a spectacular and intriguing night between two young fighters who have everything to prove, and everything to lose.
