Oscar De La Hoya expects Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia to be such an enormous event that it’ll make a lasting impact on the boxing business.
Garcia’s promoter predicted that these two fighters’ popularity on social media and outside of boxing’s faded fan base will make their pay-per-view event a smashing success financially. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Davis and Garcia will fight April 22, has been sold out since the day tickets went on sale last month.
“The Golden Boy” believes such high demand for admission is an accurate indication of how many consumers will buy a four-fight pay-per-view show that’ll cost $84.99 in the United States. De La Hoya has stated that Davis-Garcia could generate two million buys in the U.S., though most industry insiders have been much more conservative with their estimates.
The six-division champion nevertheless feels Davis-Garcia has been scheduled just in time to build some much-needed momentum for a niche sport in which business obstacles often prevent the most intriguing fights from happening. De La Hoya discussed the significance of their fight Tuesday during Garcia’s open workout at the Maloof mansion in Beverly Hills, California.
“This is the fight to save boxing – literally,” De La Hoya told Showtime’s announcer, Ray Flores. “You know, they keep on – every decade has its fight to save boxing. This is the fight to save boxing. And the reason why it is, is because you have two young guys, two undefeated guys, who are the best of the best, willing to fight each other. You can see the anticipation, you can feel it. The sellout in four minutes of tickets. It’s a great indication that this pay-per-view is gonna be huge, so yeah, this is the fight of the year.”
Baltimore’s Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) is listed by most sportsbooks as more than a 2-1 favorite to beat Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, in their 12-round non-title fight, which will be contested at a contracted catch weight of 136 pounds. De La Hoya praised Davis on Tuesday, but the International Boxing Hall of Fame fighter feels that the 24-year-old Garcia will put on a memorable performance in the biggest fight of his six-year pro career, even against a dangerous southpaw who has knocked out 93 percent of his opponents.
“I told [Garcia] the other day, ‘I can see it in your eyes. There’s something in your eyes that tells me you’re gonna do something special,’ ” De La Hoya said. “Because there’s fighters in each generation that are chosen. And Ryan is the chosen one for this generation.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.