Gervonta Davis defeated Ryan Garcia in a knockout finish at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The 28-year-old Davis held the edge from the start and finished the 24-year-old Garcia a minute and 44 seconds in the seventh round of a 12-round fight.
Davis delivered a stunning body shot, causing Ryan Garcia to stumble back and then go to a knee, ending one of boxing’s most-anticipated matches in recent history
Both fighters clashed with streaks at stake. Davis extended his unbeaten record in pro boxing to 29 wins as Garcia succumbed to his first defeat in 24 fights.
While Davis holds the WBA Regular lightweight title, the contest between the two, billed as ‘It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This’ was contested at a catchweight of 136 pounds with an additional 10 pound rehydration clause.
Davis also sent Garcia to the mat with a roundhouse left in the second round and spent most of the rest of the fight working the body. The strategy worked for Davis from Baltimore, who has put himself in line to succeed Canelo Alvarez as the face of the sport.
Garcia, who lives in Los Angeles, did manage to land two sharp rights to Davis’ face in the sixth round. But then Tank Davis came back in the seventh with a left that, at first, did not appear to hurt Garcia much as he moved back. But then he went to a knee that prompted referee Thomas Taylor to call the bout.
Gervonta Davis knocks down Ryan Garcia during the seventh-round finish. | Photo Credit: AP
This fight between lightweight challengers had the feel of a big-time event, attracting celebrities such as Julius Erving, Damian Lillard and Mark Walhberg, as well as former champs Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquiao.
In the co-main event, David Morrell Jr. made quick work of Yamaguchi Falcao, knocking him out at 2:22 of the first round to retain his WBA super middleweight championship. Morrell improved to 9-0, with all but one of his fights by KO. Falcao, who remained on the canvass for about three minutes, is 24-2-1.
Morrell called this “the best moment of my career” and said he wants to take on two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez.
“I don’t want any other guys at 168 pounds, just Benavidez,” Morrell said. “I respect Benavidez and his team, but inside the ring, I don’t respect nothing.”
- with inputs from AP
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