NEW YORK – As Ryan Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya will have a say in selecting the judging panel for Garcia’s upcoming fight against Gervonta Davis.
De La Hoya naturally will want the best three judges possible to score their 12-round, 136-pound fight April 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As important as that process will be before their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event, “The Golden Boy” believes Garcia or Davis eventually will render the judges’ scorecards unnecessary.
While talking to a group of reporters recently, De La Hoya couldn’t envision a scenario in which Davis-Garcia goes the distance.
“It’s gonna end in a knockout,” De La Hoya said after a press conference at Palladium Times Square. “I have no clue who’s gonna win by knockout, but it’s gonna end by knockout. The power is too much up in that ring. There’s two guys that just are very powerful. And they’re explosive, so I’m sure whoever lands the first [flush] punch is gonna win the fight.”
Davis, 28, and Garcia, 24, are two of the most explosive punchers in boxing. The 5-foot-10 Garcia stands approximately four inches taller than Davis, a southpaw who stated during their press tour that he was surprised Garcia didn’t seem to have more of a height advantage when they stood face to face for the first time.
Though Garcia is taller and has a longer reach, Davis and Garcia both possess power that is undeniable.
Baltimore’s Davis has knocked out 93 percent of his professional opponents (28-0, 26 KOs). Only one of Davis’ past 19 fights – a 12-round, unanimous-decision victory versus Isaac Cruz in December 2021 – has gone the distance.
Garcia, of Victorville, California, has won 83 percent of his professional bouts by knockout (23-0, 19 KOs). He has won six of his past seven fights inside the distance.
Most handicappers have made Davis a 3-1 favorite to beat Garcia, who has been dropped by Luke Campbell and buzzed by Carlos Morales.
Garcia came back to knock out England’s Campbell (20-4, 16 KOs) with a body shot in the seventh round of their January 2021 fight at American Airlines Center in Dallas. He also withstood the trouble caused by Morales’ jab in the seventh round to win their 10-round bout by majority decision in September 2018 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
A fatigued Garcia held Mexico’s Morales (19-5-4, 8 KOs) for much of the final four rounds of that bout. He hired Canelo Alvarez’s revered trainer, Eddy Reynoso, after the Morales match and noticeably improved thereafter.
Garcia parted ways with Reynoso early last year. His fight versus Davis will be Garcia’s third with respected veteran trainer Joe Goossen.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.