Garcia on fight with Davis: ‘This is the biggest moment in sports right now’

The biggest fight in boxing is finally here! Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia will battle in a 12-round bout at a catchweight of 136 pounds on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas(Showtime PPV).

Davis(28-0, 26 KOs) and Garcia(23-0, 19 KOs) are two of the biggest names in boxing, and a lot is on the line. A win for Garcia or Davis could make one of them the face of the sport.

“This is the biggest moment in sports right now,” Garcia said at the final press conference on Thursday. “It means a lot. The magnitude of this fight is huge. Everything is already on the line. I’m just ready to go as deep as I have to. This moment is everything to me. I’ve envisioned this for years, and it’s finally here.”

Davis added: “He’s gonna feel me for sure. I am what I say I am. I’m that guy. I didn’t get all the way here for no reason. I put the work in, and I got those guys out of there. He’s gonna see it come Saturday night for sure.”

This fight is simple. If the 24-year-old Garcia can stand up to Davis’ power, he has a shot at winning. Davis can be outworked because he has a low work rate.

According to CompuBox, in his last 12 fights, Davis averages just over 34.2 punches thrown per round(fewest among fighters), but his power connect percentage is 47.8%(best among fighters), so when he lands, he lands hard.

“Don’t forget I’m the most accurate puncher out there,” Davis said. “Make sure you’ve been practicing on putting your hands up.”

According to CompuBox, in his last five fights, Garcia averages 41.1 punches thrown per round. Both are below the lightweight average of 57.5 punches per round.

Both land at about the same rate(Davis/12 per round, Garcia/12.8 per round).

Garcia discussed Davis’ punch output.

“This man has never punished anyone in his life,” Garcia said. “He’s always losing in these fights. Get that out of your mind. You’re gonna get punished. You(Davis) got the lowest punch output in boxing.”

Here’s the bottom line. To date, since the 28-year-old Davis has been at the top of the sport, one guy has stood up to his power, and that’s Isaac Cruz, who lost to Davis in a very competitive bout; so again, if Garcia, who has the height and reach advantage(5-10, 70; Davis 5-5, 67 1/2) and the speed advantage, can avoid Tank’s power shot, he can get the win. 

Plus, Garcia has a beautiful left hook, and he has power. Not Davis’s power, but Garcia can punch, so let’s not sleep on that. Some say the catchweight(136 pounds) and 10-pound rehydration clause could hurt Garcia. The last time Garcia fought at 135, he was dropped for the first time in career by Luke Campbell, so that’s something to think about.

Something else to think about, in February, Davis pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, failing to notify an owner of property damage, driving on a suspended license, and running a red light. The car accident happened in 2020 in Baltimore; he may do jail time, which could be a distraction. 

Prediction:

Davis gets the KO in the 10th round in a fun fight.