Gervonta Davis stopped Hector Luis Garcia in Washington DC to set up a clash with Ryan Garcia in April.
‘Tank’ added to his undefeated record with a measured and punishing performance. Big left hands forced Garcia to retire on his stool before the ninth round.
The victory clears a path for the southpaw from Baltimore to face ‘KingRy’ next, with a tentative date of April 15 in Las Vegas booked in. The matchup has been praised by fans in an age when the best fights often don’t materialise, and will be a co-promotion broadcast both on Showtime and DAZN.
In response to ‘Tank’s performance and their upcoming fight, Garcia confirmed the target date.
“Goodbye Tank [it’s] over for you.”
“No more talking let’s get it on APRIL 15th”
Goodbye Tank is over for you.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) January 8, 2023
No more talking let’s get it on
APRIL 15th
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) January 8, 2023
He also shared a tweet from YouTuber-turned-fighter, Jake Paul, predicting that Garcia would knock Davis out.
Like his future opponent, Garcia is also undefeated and boasts his own impressive knockout record. Between them, Davis and Garcia have 45 stoppages.
The bout is reported to be set at a catchweight of 136lb, and pits the two young stars with huge followings against one another – and fans are largely torn as to who will come out on top.
It represents a welcome change in and around the lightweight division – one that’s packed with plenty of talent but has often failed to match the best with the best.
With undisputed champion, Devin Haney, rumoured to face pound-for-pound star, Vasily Lomachenko, over the coming months, 2023 looks to be a stand out year for the weight class.