Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia announce mega-fight in Las Vegas
One of the biggest fights in boxing is happening in Las Vegas.
Undefeated lightweight superstars Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia will fight in Las Vegas in early 2023, the two announced Thursday via social media. A venue and date have not been finalized, but organizers are hoping to stage the fight in April, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
I’m so pumped this fight is finally in place — I want it more than anything right now. I’ve put in the work, I’m at the prime of my career, and I know I’m going to be the biggest boxer in the world. That legacy starts today🥊 pic.twitter.com/6Hv5y3hwMY
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) November 17, 2022
The fighters have agreed to a 136-pound catchweight bout for a pay-per-view produced by Showtime and available for purchase via DAZN, the networks Davis (Premier Boxing Champions) and Garcia (Golden Boy Promotions) fight on, respectively.
“Boxing NEEDS this fight right now,” Garcia wrote on Twitter. “It’s time for us to get back to what made this sport so great for the fans: Glamorous fights in places like Las Vegas, grudge match storylines, and most importantly — the best fighting the best.”
The fight represents a commercially appealing matchup between two of the brightest stars in the sport in their primes with marquee followings.
Davis (27-0, 25 knockouts) is a former 130-pound world champion who claimed secondary titles in the 135-pound and 140-pound divisions. The 28-year-old Baltimore native is one of the most explosive punchers in boxing and thus one of its most popular fighters — having proven a box-office attraction in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York, where he last knocked out Rolando Romero on May 28 at Barclays Center.
Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, is equally explosive — building a premier following in part through a bevy of social media platforms. The 24-year-old has more than nine million followers on Instagram, trailing only pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez among active boxers.
He last knocked out Javier Fortuna in July at Crytpo.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Davis is due a tuneup fight Jan. 7, PBC announced, but the matchup with Garcia represents a modern rarity in boxing: Rival networks, promoters and platforms working together to finalize a mega-fight.
This after negotiations for a mega-fight between welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford collapsed last month.
I’ll be back in the ring Jan 7 stay tuned for more details! After that it’s me and Ryan signed sealed delivered…done deal!
— Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) November 17, 2022
“All credit to (Davis) and Ryan. Lots of obstacles along the way, but they both stayed the course to give the fans the fight they want,” Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza wrote on Twitter.
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.