Why Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Must Take Place

Boxing fans witnessed the continuation of a slow-building legacy at the weekend, as exciting youngster Ryan Garcia defeated Javier Fortuna in dominating fashion.

The American delivered another noteworthy performance in front of 20,000 spectators at the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, putting an abrupt halt to the contest six rounds in.

Garcia dropped his ring counterpart in the fourth, connecting with a perfectly-timed left hook to the body, a shot that Britain’s Luke Campbell became all too familiar in the pair’s bout last year.

Fortuna went down again in the following round, before his opponent utilised his left hook once again, this time to the side of the Dominican’s skull.

After emerging victorious, Garcia exclaimed:

“I will fight Tank (Gervonta Davis) next. If Tank wants it, let’s get it. I have a spirit of competition in me, and you’re gonna see it when I fight Tank Davis, and I’m gonna whip his ass.”

Words Exchanged

Garcia and Davis have been back and forth at each other both on social media and with microphone in hand.

The former has been especially vocal recently, challenging his fellow American fighter in the aftermath of his devastating finish over rival Rolando Romero. Garcia has also continued this trend on social media, predicting an easy contest when the two do eventually take to the ring:

I won’t just beat tank, I will make it look like there was no reason for him to be in the ring with me. Easy Easy Lemon Squeezy.

— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 18, 2022

Davis, on the other hand, gestured after Garcia’s win that he had accepted this call-out, posting a cryptic Tweet simply stating: “See you all at the end of the year.”

Although it seems nothing is set in stone, all involved parties will realise that this is the lightweight clash that boxing fans will want to see.

There have, however, been obstacles to overcome when attempting to deliver this fight to the fanbase. Davis has emerged under the wing of sport legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., and is signed to Premier Boxing Champions, which “Money’s” own business often works in parallel with.

Garcia is signed to Golden Boy Promotions, who have often hinted that an agreement would be much easier to come to should ‘Tank’ split with his current allegiances. Rumours of a departure did seem to be spiralling a few months ago, with reports of Golden Boy offering Davis a mammoth offer in an attempt to prise him away.

The duo are two of the most exciting young talents in the sport right now, and both appear more than intrigued with silencing the other come the end of the year.

Garcia also told DAZN: “If he (Davis) wants it, let’s get it. That’s going to give me the respect I deserve.”

The Potential Matchup

We haven’t seen a duo more poised to put on a showstopper at 130lb for a serious amount of time.

Davis ranks just one place above Garcia in The Ring‘s lightweight rankings, coming in at #5 on the global scale. The 27-year-old’s record currently stands at 27-0, with all but two of these wins coming via an early stoppage.

“Tank’s” knockout power is truly formidable, his last fight with Romero acting as Exhibit A. He’s also shown courage in adversity, defeating Isaac Cruz via decision despite injuring his hand midway through the bout.

There’s few boxing fans out there that still question the Baltimore native’s skill. You would even struggle to mention Garcia in the same breath as Davis at present when it comes to fight-ending power at 130lb.

The former WBC interim lightweight belt holder is 23-0 in his own career, 19 of these being knockouts. His ferocious speed combined with an ability to damage both head and body makes for a scary proposition for any fighter.

Garcia’s 5’10” frame combined with an orthodox stance would certainly make for an interesting matchup with his American rival given the stockier 5’6″ build and southpaw style.

Give us Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis next… pic.twitter.com/XXzyO4iihs

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 17, 2022

For too long boxing has trailed organisations like the UFC when it comes to setting up the most anticipated fights. Politics, promotions and money are all factors which have often come in the way of potential blockbusters.

Gervonta Davis versus Ryan Garcia is a bout all fans of the sport want to see, and the pair’s verbal trading has definitely led to increased hype surrounding the matchup.

It seems all parties involved will be pushing for a meeting before the end of the year.

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