The fight between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia is officially on the books. The two undefeated fighters will put their unblemished records on the line in a 12-round, 136-pound catchweight bout that will take place in Las Vegas.
The Baltimore native and Southern California star have circumnavigated each other over the years as both fighters have called each other out in a public war of words while still managing to remain a force in the sport.
In a statement released on Thursday, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) was eager for this fight to take place against his longtime rival.
Mannix: Gervonta 'Tank' Davis and Ryan Garcia Agree to Framework of a Deal to Fight in January
“This is the fight I want and this is the fight boxing needs. The hype, the storylines, the two athletes defining their sport inside the ring and out,” Garcia said. “I am going to knock Tank [Davis] out and take my place as the face of our incredible sport, and I’m bringing a new generation of boxing fans with me. I appreciate Tank volunteering to get beat so that I can get to work.”
Garcia has put together an imposing resume of success within several weight classes. He knocked out Luke Campbell in the seventh round for the interim WBC lightweight belt. In July, Garcia defeated Javier Fortuna in the sixth round in front of a packed crowd inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Since his last fight, Garcia was adamant about fighting Davis (27-0, 25 Kos), who is considered as one of boxing’s biggest stars. Davis’s last bout consisted of a sixth-round TKO of Rolando Romero at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which produced a crowd of more than 18,900 people—a record for boxing in the building—and a live gate of more than $4 million.
Last month, representatives from both fighters had been in deep negotiations for a potential fight with both sides impelled to land a deal. While the fight is now officially taking place, details of the financial terms, guarantees of both fighters and an agreed-upon split of pay-per-view percentages will come later.
