Last Updated on May 1, 2023 by BVN
Jon D. Gaede | BVN Sports
In the most anticipated fight of the year, Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis (29-0) abruptly knocked out challenger Ryan Garcia (23-1) with a stunning body shot at 1:44 of the seventh round in Las Vegas.
Well over a million tuned into the Showtime PPV event at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, April 22nd.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Chance the Rapper, Michael B. Jordan, Mark Wahlberg and Mike Tyson were among the former champions and celebrities in attendance for this one.
Fighting at a catch weight of 136 pounds, Davis gave up four inches in height and reach to the taller Garcia. From the outset, Davis showed that his quickness, footwork and overall speed would be a problem for Garcia.
Ringside judges gave Garcia round one, but Davis outpointed his opponent the rest of the fight, until a decisive blow delivered to the body of Garcia, ended the fight by knockout in round seven. In the center of the ring, Davis ducked under a weak Garcia left jab, quickly closed in to deliver an accurate short left to Garcia’s right side that ended the fight.
With so much hype surrounding this fight, perhaps the Davis body shot will be included among the most memorable—Hopkins vs De la Hoya (2004), Morales vs Zaragosa (1997) and Crawford vs Indongo (2017) come to mind, as each of these highly-anticipated fights were also ended by crushing body shots.
“Tank is a good fighter, he caught me with a good shot,” said Garcia following his defeat.
Garcia’s powerful left hook was rarely deployed, as Davis chose strategic moments to deliver accurate blows and accumulate rounds. Davis declared himself the “face of boxing” in the post-fight.
Boxing fans and purists always hoping for another classic trilogy, may find that one will not materialize from these two fighters who did not fight for a title on Saturday night. Ali-Frazier, Morales-Barrera, Leonard-Duran, Pacquiao-Marquez remain among the most memorable trilogies in the ring.
