LAS VEGAS -- In a highly anticipated showdown between two of boxing's most promising young talents, Gervonta "Tank" Davis' superior punching power was the key to victory.
Ultimately, it was Davis (29-0, 27 KOs), one of the sport's most prolific knockout artists, who knocked Ryan Garcia down in Round 2 before delivering a decisive body shot in Round 7, resulting in a stunning one-punch knockout on Saturday at the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) demonstrated determination throughout the match, landing several powerful single shots to catch Davis' attention. However, he couldn't recover from a cunning counter left hand to the body. The 24-year-old social media sensation dropped to one knee after a delayed reaction, blood streaming from his nose, and was unable to rally as referee Thomas Taylor counted Garcia out just as he stood up at 1:44 of Round 7.
Following his victory, a beaming 28-year-old Davis embraced his former promoter and longtime mentor, Floyd Mayweather. Although the winner of this fight was widely considered to be the potential new face of boxing, Davis repeatedly reminded the media that he already held that title—a claim difficult to refute after his performance.
"I'm definitely the face of boxing," Davis said. "Everybody already knew that."
While Davis' power was undoubtedly the main event's focal point, it was his technique, experience, and ring IQ that ultimately allowed him to secure the win. Despite Garcia outlanding him 39-35 in this mostly tense, low-output bout, according to ShoStats, Davis connected with an impressive 48% of his power shots overall.
"Everything was exciting," Davis said.
"I was excited being a part of this event. I remember coming up during Floyd [Mayweather] fights at the MGM [Grand Garden Arena] and I knew it would be me one day. I'm going to keep my head down, stay humble and continue to get to work."
Garcia started strong, using swift right hands and aggressive inside shots in Round 2 to capture Davis' attention. However, a skillful counter right hand sent Garcia crashing to the ground after he missed a lead left hook.
"It was just him not knowing his placement, and I knew that I was the smarter guy," Davis said. "Coach [Calvin Ford] always keeps telling me in camp that he is going to come up with his head up, so just shoot it over the top."
At the time of the stoppage, Davis was leading on all three scorecards. Throughout the fight, he consistently landed clean body shots to slow down the 24-year-old Garcia. In the end, it was this focus on the body that sealed Garcia's fate.
"Tank is a great fighter, and I take my hat off to him," Garcia said. "We talked a lot of shit, but he knows it's all love at the end of the day, and I take my hat off to him. He was the better man.
"He just caught me with a good shot. I don't want to make any excuses. I just couldn't recover, and that's it. That's all I want to say. I'm not saying nothing, I couldn't breathe. I just couldn't get up."
Despite the intense trash talk leading up to the match, including a 10-pound rehydration clause imposed by Davis during negotiations, both fighters embraced after the conclusion. This aligned with Davis' pre-fight prediction of a seventh-round knockout.
"It was just me trying to get in his head," Davis said of the prediction. "I really don't know until I actually get in there with my opponent. Once I did, I felt like skill-wise , I was unmatched."
In other fights on the card, David Morrell made a massive statement with a first-round knockout of Yamaguchi Falcao. Morrell, a secondary titleholder in the super middleweight division, has been sensational in his nine pro fights, with eight of them ending in knockout.
The 25-year-old Morrell wasted no time calling out former champion David Benavidez for a fight as both eagerly await Canelo Alvarez's decision, who currently holds all four recognized titles in the division.
SPAR was with you every step of the way on Saturday, providing live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
Gervonta "Tank" Davis def. Ryan Garcia via seventh-round knockout
David Morrell (c) def. Yamaguchi Falcao via first-round knockout*
Bektemir Melikuziev def. Gabriel Rosado via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 99-91)
Elija Garcia def. Kevin Zambrano via unanimous decision (95-94, 97-92, 97-92)
*-WBA "regular" super middleweight title
Davis vs. Garcia scorecard, live coverage
Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
Davis | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | TKO | | | | | | 58 |
Garcia | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | | | | | | | 55 |
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