Gervonta “Tank” Davis has handed his American compatriot “King” Ryan Garcia the first defeat of his career with a stinging body shot in the seventh round of their marquee fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 28-year-old Davis from Baltimore, Maryland, has won five world titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight classes and now boasts a 29-0 record with 27 knockouts.
Davis had floored the 24-year-old Garcia in the second round on Saturday night with a fierce left overhand counterpunch.
It was a competitive fight, and Garcia had some good moments, but after the second round, Davis looked to be on the front foot.
The knockout blow was blindingly fast as Davis took advantage of an advancing Garcia, landing a perfectly placed punch to Garcia’s ribcage.
After staggering back, Garcia steadied himself and appeared to be able to fight on, throwing a left jab into the air before dropping to one knee.
“It was a good shot,” Davis said after the fight. “I thought he was going to get up. I was looking at him, trying to tell him ‘get up.’
“And he just shook his head.”
No titles were on the line for this much-hyped showdown, which took place at a catchweight of 136 pounds (62kg).
However, plenty of bragging rights and benefits were at stake in this fight, which was broadcast live on pay-per-view.
The fight also attracted a celebrity-studded audience with former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson in attendance at the sold-out T-Mobile Arena.
“I am the face of boxing,” Davis declared after the fight.
“I just saw Rihanna perform at the Super Bowl, and I was like that was going to be me one day, and here we are,” he said.
“It definitely matches the dream, but the job’s never done till I retire, so I’m going to keep my head down, stay humble and continue to work.”
Garcia, meanwhile, will have to go back to the drawing board after falling to 23-1 with 19 knockouts.
After a testy build-up to the bout, Garcia was gracious in defeat, calling it “an honour” to be in the ring with Davis.
Nothing like fighting one of the best! Hopefully one day we can run it back! 🔥👑 pic.twitter.com/oMEGoTifWk
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) April 23, 2023
“He just caught me with a good shot,” Garcia said. “I just couldn’t recover. Snuck under me and caught me good.”
He said he didn’t want to elaborate but, when asked, agreed he couldn’t breathe.
“I was going to get back up, but I just couldn’t get up,” he said.
