Fight highlights: Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia in Sin City

The early hours of Sunday morning saw British boxing fans waiting up or waking up for the highly anticipated lightweight clash between Gervonta ‘tank’ Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) and Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) , as well as masses of fans globally who tuned in to witness the phenomenon.

The first round was cagey, with both men appearing weary of counterpunches. Garcia cut off the distance at the start of the second round and became the aggressor, stalking Tank around the ring. However, Garcia was then floored as Tank countered his left hook. Garcia payed the price for overcommitting however quickly arose to his feet.

The start of the third round saw Garcia immediately try to take control of the ring. However, Tank managed to evade the majority of his shots and appeared to win the round. The fourth saw Tank land a notable lead left , in a round where he displayed some commendable ring IQ. Tank seemingly continued to outbox Garcia in the fifth , creating clever angles and setting up some smart counterpunches. In the sixth, Garcia picked up the pace and landed multiple right hands in what was a fairly even round. In the seventh , Garcia took a delayed knee after Tank landed a crippling body shot to the liver. The referee waved the bout off as Garcia could not raise from his knee before the ten count. It is worth noting that Tank was ahead on all cards at the time of the stoppage.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis post fight interview:

“I was excited to be apart of this event”

“It’s me just trying to get into his head” – Tank on the correct round prediction in the days leading up to the clash , to which he predicted round seven as his winning round.

“Just him not knowing his placement” – Tank on the first knockdown

“I thought he was gunna get up” – Tank on the second knockdown

“I’m definitely the face of boxing”

Ryan Garcias post fight presser quotes…

“Tank is a great fighter , I take my hat off to him.”

“I was honoured to be in the ring with a great fighter”

“He caught me with a good shot and I just couldn’t recover” – Garcia on the stoppage

After initially calling out Tank back in 2018 and again after his stoppage win over Luke Campbell in 2021, the pair have continued to verbally clash online. When the bout was finally announced fans were left excited yet hesitant as they struggled to believe the fight was now a reality. After seeing many big fights fall to the hands of boxing politics, who were to blame them? However , the gameness of both men and Ryan Garcias persistent push to create the fight ultimately brought the contest into actuality.

Ryan Garcia should not be criticised and wrote off on social media for his defeat simply due to taking such a high risk fight in a climate where boxers are often reluctant to make mega fights for the fans that could jeopardise their undefeated records or ‘tarnish’ their image. Despite no belt been on the line, this fight has proven that super fights do not necessarily have to rely on governing bodies to go ahead. The collaboration between rival promoters for this fight should also set example for other boxing promoters that are hesitant to work together and reach middle grounds. A 10 pound rehydration clause was also accepted by Garcia, who has recently moved up to 140 but however moved back down to 135 to make this fight. This showed Garcias willingness to get the fight to take place and he should be applauded for doing so , despite falling short.This also raises the question as to wether the rehydration clause and weight cut has had an affect on the 24 year old in relation to the body shot stoppage. However , ultimately it is undeniable that Tanks superior ring IQ secured him the victory on the night.