For a number of years now, Ryan Garcia has pushed the buttons of Gervonta Davis. However, no matter how many curse-filled tirades he would embark upon, the hard-hitting star from Baltimore, Maryland, openly dismissed Garcia, often referring to him as a tenuous opponent and nothing more than a child.
Fast forward just a few years later, and Davis is now singing a different tune. With Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) building himself into not only one of boxing’s biggest stars, but also one of its more lethal punchers, Davis believes that the time for their showdown has finally arrived.
Officially, the two are set to meet in the main event slot on April 22nd, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although he’s viewed as a solid favorite on the night, Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) isn’t sleeping on his incredibly talented opponent.
Garcia, 24, seemingly established himself as a reputable adversary following a string of noteworthy wins. Most recently, the former WBC interim titlist laid waste to Javier Fortuna, dropping and stopping the normally durable contender in the sixth round in July of 2022.
Davis, admittedly, has taken notice of some of Garcia’s handiwork. By and large, the 28-year-old Davis, unlike his detractors, is firmly of the belief that the level of opposition he’s faced up until this point should be respected. But, even with Davis lining up across the ring against the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Rolando “Rolly” Romero, Isaac Cruz, and a long list of others, Davis acknowledges that Garcia, thanks to his height, reach, and deleterious punching power, will undoubtedly be the most difficult foe he’s ever come across.
“Yea for sure,” said Davis to BoxingScene.com during a recent interview when asked if Garcia will be his most difficult challenge yet. “He’s the toughest I would say.”