LAS VEGAS (AP) – Gervonta Davis’ left uppercut to Ryan Garcia didn’t seem to do much damage initially.
Garcia remained on his feet before backing up a few steps. Then he went to his right knee, and suddenly a highly anticipated boxing match was over, the lightweight bout ending at 1:44 of the seventh round yesterday.
Davis improved to 29-0, with all but two of his victories by knockout. It was the first defeat for Garcia, who won 19 of his first 23 fights by KO.
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, a 28-year-old from Baltimore who put himself in position to succeed Canelo Alvarez as the face of the sport.
Garcia, a 24-year-old 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 put Garcia on the mat for the second time and prompted referee Thomas Taylor to call the bout. 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. A sold-out crowd of 20,842 showed up, with Davis owning roughly a 60-40 split of the support.
“Everything about this was exciting,” Davis said. “I was excited to be a part of this event. I remember coming up in the Golden Gloves and seeing Floyd (Mayweather Jr) fight at the MGM. It was crazy. I actually just saw Rihanna perform at the Super Bowl, and I thought that’s going to be me one day, and we’re here.”
What kind of lasting impact this fight will have on the sport beyond Saturday remains to be seen, but both fighters – even as they bickered all week – recognised its importance when they agreed to fight. They are two boxers in their prime willing to take on each other rather than carefully choose other opponents to enhance their resumes.
