His speed? Noteworthy. His power? Undeniable. His skills? Remarkable.
But, even with Ryan Garcia reeling off 23 consecutive victories to start his career, thanks to his celebrity status on social media, countless prognosticators and fans have openly questioned whether or not he’s done enough to earn a shot at one of boxing’s premier stars, Gervonta Davis.
On April 22nd, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the two widely popular fighters will square off at a catchweight of 136 pounds. Although the 24-year-old Garcia has expressed an overwhelming amount of confidence in his ability to stop Davis in his tracks, the betting world isn’t believing his audacious words one bit, pegging him as an underdog.
Still, in spite of oddsmakers standing firmly in his corner, and regardless of the long line of detractors going against Garcia, Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) isn’t buying into the narrative that Garcia isn’t an elite fighter.
“He’s legit,” said Davis to a group of reporters recently.
In addition to Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) holding a pristine and spotless record, the California native has shown steady improvement. When last seen, the loquacious star issued a one-sided beating to former titlist turned faded contender, Javier Fortuna.
Considering that the 33-year-old Dominican has shown to have a durable and reliable chin, Davis admits that he was impressed with Garcia and his lopsided demolition job. Nevertheless, despite Garcia making it look incredibly easy in the ring, those in boxing circles have wondered out loud whether or not Garcia is deserving of his Davis clash, or if his ever-growing star power did most of the heavy lifting.
Davis, however, dismisses that very notion. Taking into consideration what Garcia did to Fortuna, paired with his comeback victory against Luke Campbell just a few short years ago, and Davis is officially of the belief that Garcia’s skills, not his brazen trash talk, make him a worthy adversary.
“I think so,” said Davis to a group of reporters when asked if Garcia has done enough to warrant a showdown against him. “He beat Fortuna, he beat Luke Campbell. I think he earned his spot.”