By: Shrey

A Stunning Conclusion to an Exciting Scrap

In front of an audience of over 20,000, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia took on the biggest tests of their careers in each other and left us with an excellent bout to remember. After 7 cagey rounds, Davis (29-0) sealed away a well-deserved victory with a razor-fast left hand to Garcia’s ribs, cementing his position in the lightweight division. While no belt was on the line, Davis has walked away earning recognition for his outstanding performance, and respect from Garcia who had to swallow his pride and accept that he had met his match.

Skills Pay The Bills

After all the delays, promotion hurdles and weight class negotiations, boxing fans may have been happy just to see the bout come to pass at all. What they received this weekend was a bout with enough action, drama, and technical depth to perhaps make it all feel worth it. From the opening bell, Garcia (23-1) came in aggressive, showcasing incredible hand speed and almost instantly backing up Davis against the ropes, whose nearly 5-inch disadvantage in height and reach became quickly apparent.

Unfortunately for KingRy, the flaws in his game also were noticeable from the start – his footwork was simply not up to par, and he continued positioning his lead foot to the inside of his opponent’s (the textbook error against a southpaw like Davis). This made what happened in the next round almost predictable, as Davis countered a missed swing from Garcia with a left hand to the jaw, suddenly sending Garcia down to the canvas. While Ryan impressed the crowd with his mettle, it was looking like he was about to be in for a rough night.

The next 3 rounds were less eventful, turning into a more tactical affair with no significant punches landed. Garcia used his left hand to attack from a distance while tucking his right hand in for defense, with Davis using feints to land counter punches to the body. The 24-year old Garcia had clearly lost some of his confidence after being dropped, and was unable or unwilling to unleash his fearsome high-speed combinations. Fascinatingly, here is where “Tank” began to show his brilliant defense. With each round, Davis’ understanding of Garcia’s range and artillery only grew. While he started the fight weaving his full body to avoid getting hit, he began more and more to either slap away incoming jabs with sharp parries or dodge punches with minimal, highly efficient movement. This allowed him to focus his energy on punishing counterpunches, drawing blood from Garcia’s nose and steadily attacking his body.

A Shocking Conclusion

Round 6 saw Garcia coming in with renewed aggression (perhaps at the behest of his new trainer, Joe Goosen), now mixing in right hands trying to more actively bring pressure to his smaller opponent. It appeared to be the most difficult round for Davis, who walked back to his corner now sporting small welts on his forehead. Garcia attempted the same aggression in the 7th round but was this time punished by a punch that would end the bout.

Some viewers may have been confused when they saw Garcia suddenly back up and take a knee in the middle of the round, but this would have been due to missing the fast, sneaky left hand that Davis landed on Garcia’s ribs. The impact from a perfectly placed liver-blow is often delayed, yet incredibly painful. Over a 5 second period, Garcia’s mind registered the increasing pain in his midsection, and he found himself unable to stay standing as he took a down and listened to the referee’s count. Though he appeared to make a motion to rise again, Garcia did not stand up until the referee counted to 10, calling the fight and declaring Davis the winner.

The “Face of Boxing”

Davis had been openly searching for a blockbuster victory to prove his skills to the masses. Indeed, his careful punch selection and defensive adjustments against a fast, dangerous opponent make a strong case for his addition to any pound-for-pound list. As he will return to fighting at 135lbs, he has shown potential to defeat any of the top names touted around him. In particular, fans will be raring for him to face the winner of the title fight between long-time master Vasiliy Lomachenko and current Undisputed Lightweight champion, Devin Haney.

For Ryan Garcia, who accepted his loss and gave props to Davis, it could be back to drawing board. While he will move up to a more comfortable weight class in 140lbs, he will likely want to reintegrate defensive footwork and movement into his style from the basics before challenging the junior welterweight titleholders. His first knockdown in the fight was highly similar to the one he suffered against Luke Campbell two years ago, suggesting a deep need to improve his fundamentals (or at least, to avoid southpaws for the time being). Regardless, he will still have several opportunities for the future. He should rightly feel proud for helping deliver “what boxing needs” in an exciting match-up between rising stars in their primes. It’s only right he be rewarded with another chance to prove himself and earn the moniker “King” in his epithet.

Tank Davis Blasts Away Garcia in 7 Rounds

April Showers & April Fools

KingRy takes on a Tank