Super Fight: Davis v Garcia Preview and Prediction

Power meets speed as WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia go to war in an epic clash of the unbeaten at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld. 

Card starts at 2 AM Sunday SA time

Gervonta Davis (1.40) v Ryan Garcia (2.90) (Catchweight)

It’s a super fight. One boxing desperately needs. Two undefeated fighters in their early primes set to collide in an explosive clash of styles that pits the one-of-a-kind power of Davis against the lightning quickness of Garcia. 

A 5’5½” stick of dynamite, Davis is a savage southpaw who carries heavyweight power in both hands. “Tank” is fuelled by bad intentions and has steamrolled all comers, claiming 26 of his 28 wins by knockout and winning titles in three different weight classes.  

His power is so prolific that it’s easy to overlook that as the protégé of Floyd Mayweather, his fundamentals are fantastic. He displayed all of his gifts when he stopped Hector Garcia in the ninth round to retain the WBA lightweight title in his most recent bout in January. 

Speed kills and that’s certainly the case when it comes to Garcia. Blink and you’ll miss him firing off a flurry of punches so quickly it looks like he’s fighting in fast forward. He, too, is flawless inside the squared circle with 19 of his 23 wins coming by knockout. 

Known as “King”, his footwork and timing are impeccable and his left hook is particularly devastating. His latest conquest came last July when he dropped Javier Fortuna three times before finally putting him out of his misery in the sixth round.

Once they step between the ropes, it’ll all come down to controlling the range. Whoever does that the best will come out with their hand raised. 

Five-and-a-half inches taller with a two-and-a-half-inch reach advantage, Garcia will have to chip away on the outside and not allow Davis to plant his feet. Davis, though, is perennially the shorter man and as such, he’s a master of closing gaps and setting traps. 

With Davis’ power, Garcia has no margin for error, especially considering he was dropped once before by Luke Campbell. Get hit by “Tank” and you stay hit. Another key advantage Davis has is elite-level experience. For as good as Garcia has looked, he hasn’t fought the calibre of opponents Davis has defeated. 

At 28, Davis is further down the road in life and boxing. He’s been on big stages and thrived whereas this will be the biggest platform 24-year-old Garcia has stepped onto and it remains to be seen how he copes with the added pressure. 

Negotiations are notorious in boxing and for this dream bout to materialise, the B-side of the equation, Garcia, had to concede to contractual demands from team Davis.

Chief among them is a weight clause. 

Davis had all but refused to budge and ultimately agreed to a 12-round catchweight bout at 136 pounds, one pound over the lightweight limit. For the bigger Garcia, who fought at 140 in his last two fights, this is no small matter as he not only has to cut the extra pounds but also has to work within a 10-pound rehydration clause.

It’s a move that tilts the scales in Davis’ favour more so than it does level the playing field. Essentially, it means Garcia won’t be at his best, with his power and durability especially set to be diminished. It’s an unfortunate part of boxing. Mayweather, for example, did the same when he fought and beat Canelo Alvarez. 

It’ll still be an excellent fight, but with the advantages he negotiated, Davis will be the one who emerges with his undefeated record intact, and he’ll most likely do so with a late knockout. 

Prediction: Davis by knockout. 

Best Bet: Davis by knockout at 1.71. 

Alternative Bet: Over 7.5 rounds at 1.77.