Has there been a major event quite like Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia in recent memory?
Hopes are high heading into this Saturday (Showtime/DAZN PPV, 8 PM EST) by those who count the chips in boxing. Fans are hoping for at least a good fight but the business of boxing is looking at this as a potential blockbuster, perhaps the first of several over the next few years around lightweight and Jr. welterweight.
It’s been a few years since Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia’s names were linked with Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney as a potential future fabulous foursome. We’re finally seeing two of them square off. The road to get there is part of what makes the weekend fascinating.
The building of 28-year old Gervonta Davis (28-0, 26 KO) has been both meticulous and, in many ways, traditional. Davis appeared on undercards, built his way to main events on Showtime, went overseas, won titles (or sub-titles) competing across three weight classes from 130-140 pounds, and then was steadily introduced to multiple major markets around the United States while graduating to pay-per-view.
It’s been a masterclass on star building, executed near flawlessly. Davis enters the Garcia fight already one of the biggest ticket attractions in the game. The one thing left for Davis is to move from star to megastar in the pay-per-view arena, the kind of attraction whose events can reach realistically for nine-figure valuations.
This weekend might be the last step in getting there. It would likely be critiqued in some pundit corners as disappointing if it doesn’t at least get close .
The building of 24-year old Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KO) is something else. Yes, he too has been on the undercards of some bigger names but some of his marketing road might be easier to compare to the Paul brothers.
Garcia hasn’t been a regular on Showtime, ESPN, or other established media outlets. Most of his biggest fights to date have aired on streaming service DAZN while his star built through some solid steps into major US markets and apt use of social media. Before Garcia had truly exited the prospect phase, the size of his Instagram following was already a story.
Garcia and Davis were mentioning each other then. The cash on the horizon has grown since.
Now we’re here and in this clash of two undefeated, charismatic, big punching fighters still in their twenties, we have a superfight unlike most others we’ve grown accustomed to.
How so?
In this one, we know less about the competitors than in past superfights during the pay-per-view era. Think about clashes like Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez or Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad and the contrast is clear.
Those were all massive moneymakers featuring names that had arrived at the destination after what amounted to a process of elimination. They featured combatants whose resumes suggested one or the other was already the best fighter in the world, with Hall of Fame names already to their credit. They had established proof of concept.
Davis-Garcia almost arrives at its destination in reverse. It isn’t quite the beginning of a process of elimination for who will be the best of this era of talents at or around their weights, but it’s sitting pretty near the start. This is an early salvo in what fans have been looking for from this generation, suggesting that with the right talent and marketing, in 2023 the money can come before the completion of a proof of concept.
It’s not like that hasn’t ever happened before but it’s not common. It brings to mind a particular fight and a concept of fiction outside the ring.
The fight is Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney. The concept is what Hollywood producer JJ Abrams calls “the mystery box.”
Putting aside the swirl of social issues that accompanied Holmes-Cooney, the fight itself bears some similarities to Davis-Garcia in terms of the contest itself.
It’s not a perfect comparison.
Holmes was already firmly established as the best heavyweight in the world. Davis’s place as the best lightweight in the world is still debatable (including by undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney) but he’s certainly the more established talent this weekend.
It’s been more than five years since Davis handed Jose Pedraza the worst loss of his career and Garcia will be Davis’s fourth opponent in five starts ranked in the top ten of their weight class by TBRB or Ring Magazine. There are those who find Davis’s resume underwhelming. If they’re being objective, it’s improved dramatically beginning with his win over Leo Santa Cruz and Davia has seen a wider range of veterans and styles along the way.
Davis enters off a stoppage of undefeated, streaking Jr. lightweight titlist Hector Garcia just months ago. Davis, again in more traditional fashion, got ready for his biggest fight by taking live fire and keeping himself sharp. One can argue his proof of concept could be stronger, but it’s firm.
Garcia’s resume is less developed than Davis’s. His physical tools (size, speed, power) are evident and he showed resolve in coming off the floor to stop veteran contender Luke Campbell. However, like Cooney, Garcia steps into the biggest fight of his career with a huge left hook and minimal activity over the last two years.
Cooney had the benefit of big, aging names from the Ali era to build his name on, stopping Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle, and Ken Norton in consecutive fights before his career hit pause for over a year, waiting for a superfight. It ended up a hell of a fight, with Cooney coming off the floor early to give his all before a stoppage loss.
Garcia has Campbell, Javier Fortuna, a few others solid professionals, and the audacity of the gamble. Garcia last appeared in a ring last July. Team Garcia opted against a fight before the fight. The gamble is he’s ready now.
That’s the mystery box.
Recounted in The Week, “Abrams gave a now-famous speech at TED Talks that summarized his entire approach to storytelling. In a childhood trip to Lou Tannen’s Magic Store, Abrams bought a “mystery magic box” — a box that has always remained a mystery. “I bought this decades ago, but if you look at this, you’ll see it’s never been opened. Ever,” said Abrams. “Why have I not opened this, and why have I kept it?… It represents infinite possibility. It represents hope. It represents potential. What I love about this box — and what I realized I sort of do, in whatever it is that I do — is I find myself drawn to infinite possibility and that sense of potential. And I realize that mystery is the catalyst for imagination… What are stories besides mystery boxes?”
In the absence of full proof of concept for Garcia, this fight asks fans to open the box and see what they find, because we still don’t know exactly what we’re getting this weekend.
To be fair, we never know what we’re going to get, even when we think we do. De La Hoya-Trinidad was the classic that wasn’t. Whitaker-Chavez was a masterpiece spoiled by the ineptitude of errant pencils.
But it’s a rare thing to arrive at an event like this where so many questions about who we’re getting in the ring run rival to the question of what will happen once the bell rings. The possibilities might not be infinite, but their variety is palpable.
For whatever reason, some fighters capture the public imagination easier than others. The cliche would be the “It Factor.” The bottom line is Davis and Garcia have made people care about who wins when the two of them throw hands. There isn’t going to be a better place to be Saturday night than somewhere watching this fight to see what happens when the mystery box is opened.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com