The biggest fight of the year is happening this weekend, and it is happening with or without you.
In a year that felt destined to be defined by a first undisputed heavyweight champion in 20 years, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk disappointed fans by failing to agree terms over a huge title fight. At welterweight, Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford’s collision course might have been carved up for good. Even Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, who have no titles or unbeaten records to worry about, continue to flirt but without setting up a date. Elsewhere, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is yet to pursue a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, though such a bout feels devoid of the pulling power that one might expect.
So, deprived of these showdowns, what is a boxing fan to do? Well: Turn to Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, two fighters who are actually willing to risk it all.
On Saturday night, under the bewitching lights of Las Vegas, the Americans will contest a catchweight “super-fight” that is testament to how self-preservation and pride needn’t derail a quest for legacy. It serves as proof that deals can be struck at the highest level of boxing – even deals years in the making, like this one, which has been built on constant taunting and a genuine dislike between opponents.
In one corner is WBA lightweight champion Davis, in his prime at 28 years old and unbeaten as a professional at 28-0. Of those unanswered wins, 26 have come by knockout. “Tank” is one of the more justified nicknames in boxing, clearly, and once the three-weight world champion gets rolling, he does not halt. The southpaw’s armoury is a frightening one, and he has used it to neutralise each enemy that he has encountered. When Davis’s left hand curls into a hook, the outcome is inevitable – at least it has been so far. Furthermore, the American’s onslaughts are seemingly motored by malice, which only serves to heighten Davis’s intimidating essence, one first perceived by Floyd Mayweather years ago.
In the other corner is Garcia, approaching his prime at 24 years old and unbeaten at 23-0 (19 KOs). Having built a following by showing off his stupefying hand speed and boyish good looks on social media, the Californian was once deemed an “Instagram fighter” and little more. That was until he rose from the canvas in 2021 to send Luke Campbell into retirement with a blistering body shot, becoming the first fighter to knock out a man whose only other losses came against Vasyl Lomachenko, Jorge Linares and Yvan Mendy. That watershed victory saw Garcia claim the WBC interim lightweight title, though he would soon vacate the belt during a brief hiatus from boxing, one brought on by struggles with his mental health.
Garcia returned last year with two wins, most recently a sixth-round stoppage of Javier Fortuna in July. Garcia put down his opponent with a stun-gun combination that the Dominican never saw, one that left Fortuna kneeling on the mat, spitting out his mouthguard and welcoming the referee’s decision to call off the contest. Meanwhile, Davis’ last outing came in January, when he stalked Hector Luis Garcia around the ring for nine rounds and beat his unbeaten challenger into submission.
It was the wrong Garcia, fans crowed, and their frustration only increased when Davis’s legal issues – far from the first in his career – threatened to thwart a clash with “King Ryan” once more. In February, Davis pleaded guilty to four counts related to a hit-and-run incident from November 2020, which left four people injured including a pregnant woman. Davis is due for sentencing on 5 May, two weeks after his 136lbs catchweight bout with Garcia, which will go ahead after all. This all comes four months after Davis was jailed on a misdemeanour domestic violence charge of battery causing bodily harm, to which he pleaded not guilty. Davis had allegedly struck the mother of his one-year-old daughter, though the alleged victim later asked the court to dismiss charges.
When Davis arrived two hours late for the fight’s first press conference in March, he attributed his tardiness to “just traffic” and “not [being] prepared” – “things like that”. Garcia, for his part, said: “It kind of shows him being unprofessional and kind of continues a pattern of his character and his integrity as a person and as a professional. That’s just how it is.” When asked whether he thought Davis was late due to distraction caused by his legal issues, Garcia added: “I don’t want to come off cross, like speaking down on him, but the truth is: Yeah, that’s probably why.”
Those matters are cause for concern that Davis’s career might not see the superstardom that it could. The same status is achievable for Garcia, and while this fight is one for the boxing purists, it has untapped potential in the sporting mainstream. British promoter Eddie Hearn has predicted that Showtime, which will broadcast the event on pay-per-view in the US, will achieve between 700,000 and 800,000 buys; Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya expects upwards of 2 million. The latter figure feels optimistic, but even Hearn’s more cautious prediction would mark a success in the streaming age. The first episode of Showtime’s All Access series on the fight was viewed 3.2 million times on YouTube, and the follow-up received 2.3 million views, an indication of interest in the bout.
Forget Fury and Usyk, Spence and Crawford, Joshua and Wilder, and Canelo and Bivol; focus on two intriguing fighters who have swapped paperwork for punching bags, and who will risk their records and reputations in a fight with an enthralling story that is approaching a dramatic climax.
Within the adorned walls of a sold-out T-Mobile Arena, the fight of the year is set to take place on Saturday night.
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