Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown
The appetizer is finished. Time for the main course.
Now that Gervonta Davis cleared a final hurdle with a Saturday defeat of rising 130-pound titleholder Hector Luis Garcia in Washington, D.C., he's free to recalibrate for one of 2023's most-anticipated fights—a catchweight duel with fellow unbeaten Ryan Garcia.
The would-be combatants have agreed to the framework of a deal that would have them meet later this year at 136 pounds. Both Davis and Garcia have fought the majority of their careers at or near the lightweight limit of 135 pounds, and both have climbed to the 140-pound junior welterweight/super lightweight as well.
"On my end, I'm ready," Davis said.
They've been building toward a showdown for awhile thanks to an outside-the-ring rivalry that's included verbal interactions on social media and an apparent physical altercation at a nightclub in which Garcia said Davis grabbed his chain before security intervened.
The B/R combat team analyzed each main event principal from head to toe as a primer for the eventual extravaganza. Take a look at what we came up with, and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.
What You Need to Know
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What: Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia
Where: TBA
When: TBA
TV: PPV.com, Others TBA
What's at Stake: Though neither Davis nor Garcia hold a top-tier title at 135 or 140 pounds, the prospect of them getting together in the ring has created significant anticipation.
They're both unbeaten—combining for 51 wins and 45 KOs—and part of a group of talented, charismatic fighters from 130 to 140 who could ultimately compete in a series of bouts that'd rival the legendary "Four Kings" era from 147 to 160 pounds in the 1980s.
So while neither will throw a jeweled belt across his shoulder, a victory would certainly boost the winner's profile and move him to the front of the line for subsequent fights.
Davis entered Saturday ranked second by The Ring behind champion Devin Haney, one slot ahead of Garcia in third place. Davis defended the WBA's second-tier title with his triumph in Washington, D.C., and Garcia is ranked as the organization's No. 1 contender.
Garcia is also ranked 11th at lightweight by the IBF and seventh by the WBC at 140 pounds.
Gervonta Davis' Tale of the Tape
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Nickname: Tank
Record: 28-0, 26 KOs
Height: 5'5.5"
Weight: 134 pounds*
Reach: 67.5"
Age: 28
Stance: Southpaw
Rounds: 122
All stats courtesy of BoxRec.
*Official weight at last fight in January 2023.
Ryan Garcia's Tale of the Tape
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Nickname: KingRy
Record: 23-0, 19 KOs
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 140 pounds*
Reach: 70"
Age: 24
Stance: Orthodox
Rounds: 85
All stats courtesy of BoxRec.
*Official weight at last fight in July 2022.
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Boxing Ability
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Neither Davis nor Garcia will soon be mistaken for a silky smooth boxer.
Though Garcia has a much taller, longer frame than Davis, he's not necessarily the type to fight at long distance and keep a shorter, more aggressive foe at the end of a jab.
He does fight from an upright, balanced stance but more often finds success thanks to superior hand speed and jolting power than dynamic style. So while he'll certainly want to keep the shorter, more aggressive Davis off of him, he'll more likely try to do so with quick combinations of left hooks and right hands to the body and head than jabbing and moving.
Davis, meanwhile, is a more subtly advanced southpaw than his "Tank" nickname implies.
While he does his best work coming forward and pursuing his opponents, he doesn't simply approach with a wild-swinging, caveman mentality. Instead, he patiently chops foes down with body work with an eye toward working his way to the head later in the fight.
Toward that end, six of his title-fight KOs have occurred in the sixth round or later, including one apiece in Rounds 11 and 12.
Still, if you're going to shade it one way or the other, it's probably toward Garcia.
Advantage: Garcia
Punching Power
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Make no mistake, both these guys can crack.
Garcia has stopped 19 of 23 opponents and Davis has finished 26 of 28, so the idea that their fight will end inside the distance is hardly a preposterous one.
Instead, it's more a guess as to whose decisive power will land first.
As mentioned earlier, Garcia has edges in height and reach, is accurate with his punches and has the speed to put a variety of shots together. He's particularly effective with lead left hooks from his right-handed stance and shows as much enthusiasm for pursuing fight-ending shots to the body as he does to the head.
Fighting a southpaw on Davis' level will be a challenge, but his speed will help immensely.
Davis has created memorable fight-ending highlights with single shots, particularly with the uppercut that starched multi-division champ Leo Santa Cruz in 2020 and the counter left hand that left Rolando Romero unable to continue in their grudge match eight months ago.
To what extent he'll be hit and damaged by Garcia's shots could be the most important factor when they meet, because there's little doubt that it Davis can land power, he'll win.
Advantage: Davis
Defensive Ability
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Garcia acknowledges that he's another in a long line of gifted fighters who've succeeded thanks to their offense and their athleticism, while perhaps forgoing defense.
But now that he's facing higher-level opponents, it'll need to be addressed.
Stylistic flaws like not tucking his chin and not keeping his hands up are being stressed by new trainer Joe Goossen, and it'll be vital for Garcia to master at least some defensive elements to ensure prolonged success going forward.
Until then, he'll continue to rely on outpunching his mistakes.
As for Davis, he's shown a capacity for defensive awareness to complement his power.
He'll occasionally incorporate the shoulder roll most recently made famous by mentor Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he's also adept at remaining patient enough to fight off the back foot at times while inviting opponent shots that he's able to elude or deflect before countering.
He's agile enough to avoid damage by bending and ducking, too, which could be employed against a significantly taller fighter like Garcia. That said, Garcia's particular blend of speed and power will be an obstacle Davis hasn't encountered often during his rise to prominence.
Advantage: Davis
X-Factors
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Davis' X-Factor: Can He Stay Focused on the Task?
A Google search will provide all the information necessary on Davis' activities outside of the boxing ring.
Alongside a handful of charges that were ultimately dismissed, he was accused in 2020 of fleeing the scene of an automobile accident that involved four people and will stand trial next month after a judge declined a plea deal that would have resulted in 60 days of house arrest.
How that trial turns out will obviously impact the timing of the Garcia fight, as well as how Davis ultimately is able to prepare for it. His unbeaten record speaks for itself, but the combination of this situation's severity and the level of Garcia as an opponent present a situation that'll be challenging.
Garcia's X-Factor: Is 'KingRy' Ready for the Throne?
Garcia is probably an undisputed champion when it comes to social media conquests.
And the fact that he's been prepped by the likes of Oscar De La Hoya would lead one to believe that he's already mastered the ascension part of the star-making process.
But there's a gigantic chasm between beating the likes of Javier Fortuna and Emmanuel Tagoe and beating a multi-division champion like Davis. It'll be the first fight in Garcia's career in which he's not a clear-cut favorite, and it'll be fascinating to see whether a guy who's cool and collected on his Instagram turf can translate it to a 50-50 fight with a motivated foe.
Prediction
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There's a reason why people are looking forward to this one.
Not only are Garcia and Davis world-class talents who are likely to have long, successful careers, but it's also one of those rare fights where you can ask two people for a pick and get diametrically opposite accounts of what'll happen in the ring.
Could Garcia overwhelm Davis with speed and land enough thudding shots to stop a physically smaller opponent? Yes.
Could Davis present Garcia with the sort of effective, sustained pressure he's not seen and ultimately chop him down in the second half? Yes.
As for what will happen, we'll pull a little bit from both sides.
Davis isn't exactly a fast starter, so it won't be at all surprising to see Garcia begin the fight on the front foot while his foe collects data and tries to evade fight-ending shots. Presuming those decisive shots don't land, the scene would slowly shift to one in which Davis is the one moving forward and initiating exchanges, trying to collect on early deposits of body work.
Is it a slam dunk that he'll escape the early storm undamaged? No.
But the guess is that it'll indeed happen that way and he'll get his own work started early enough to either accomplish another later-round stoppage or deserve a decision in the 7-5 or 8-4 range. Of course, it's likely the fight lands in Las Vegas, so assuming all three judges there will see it that way is probably the event's biggest long shot.
Prediction: Davis by split decision
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