9:15 AM ET
Mike CoppingerESPN
At agelong last, aft each the trash-talk exchanges, possibly the biggest combat successful each of boxing is here. Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, 2 of the biggest stars successful the sport, announced Thursday that they'll conscionable adjacent twelvemonth successful Las Vegas. The combat volition beryllium contested astatine a 136-pound catchweight and is slated to instrumentality spot successful April, sources told ESPN.
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) tweeted that he'll archetypal combat connected Jan. 7 successful what amounts to a tune-up bout. According to tribunal records, the prima boxer's proceedings for his alleged engagement successful a hit-and-run mishap is scheduled for Feb. 16 successful Baltimore. Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) could besides person an interim fight, but that has yet to beryllium decided, according to a source.
So, there's inactive a agelong mode to spell earlier the 2 measurement successful the ringing -- Davis indispensable triumph and look without wounded from his interim combat -- but it's not excessively aboriginal to dive into immoderate of the biggest questions astir a combat that volition genuinely transcend the sport.
Rate the fight: 1-10
There's nary rubric connected the enactment and this isn't to decided supremacy successful a value class, but this is simply a genuine ace combat successful a athletics abbreviated connected them, truthful I'll springiness it a 9.
This combat has everything. Two concussive punchers with unthinkable manus speed, and possibly astir of all, nary genuine B side. Both fighters are stars who volition bring successful loads of younger fans. They each person their unsocial followings, and portion 1 tin reason Errol Spence-Terence Crawford and Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk mean much successful presumption of boxing prestige, Tank-Garcia volition crossover to the mainstream successful ways those 2 matchups can't.
This shapes up arsenic an enactment combat betwixt 2 undefeated boxers that volition onshore the victor squarely connected the pound-for-pound list.
Who has the edge?
Davis volition undoubtedly beryllium the betting favourite and with bully reason, but this feels similar a 50-50 combat erstwhile each is considered.
Both boxers are mostly untested and volition each beryllium taking a monolithic measurement up successful class. Davis' champion triumph remains a 2017 seventh-round KO of Jose Pedraza to seizure his lone satellite title, a 130-pound belt. Garcia's signature triumph is simply a seventh-round TKO of Luke Campbell past year. And successful that victory, Garcia showed his resoluteness by surviving his archetypal vocation knockdown.
Both boxers person exceptionally speedy hands, but Garcia's manus velocity is the champion successful the sport. He's besides acold bigger -- and stronger -- than Davis: Garcia stands astatine 5-foot-11 portion Davis is 5-foot-5.
Still, Davis is the amended boxer. A large cardinal to the combat volition surely beryllium Davis' southpaw jab vs. Garcia's champion punch, the near hook.
What's astatine involvement successful this fight?
The bout volition instrumentality spot astatine a 136-pound catchweight, and some boxers person competed astatine some 135 and 140 pounds, giving them flexibility going forward.
With Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko successful talks to quadrate disconnected for Haney's undisputed 135-pound title successful 2023, the 4 titles could beryllium disconnected the array for some Garcia and Davis adjacent year. At 140 pounds, the titles are present splintered up of Josh Taylor's rematch with Jack Catterall connected Feb. 4.
But really, Davis-Garcia is overmuch bigger than belts. The victor volition summation his prima powerfulness exponentially and should beryllium capable to illustration his way going forward. But abbreviated of a brutal KO, this feels similar a combat wherever some boxers volition rise their banal by participating successful the event. Simply making a combat this large is simply a win, aft all.
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