Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia | DAZN - 22 April 2023

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Sources: Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia sign for April 15 clash

Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have both signed contracts for an April 15 super fight in Las Vegas at a 136-pound catchweight, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The deal, which has been in the works since November, will be finalized once broadcasters Showtime and DAZN sign contracts, sources said. Showtime, Davis' and promoter PBC's longtime network, sent the contract to DAZN on Saturday, per source. The streaming service is the home of Garcia, who competes for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

The fight between the star boxers is perhaps the biggest commercial event boxing can deliver. A dispute over the rematch clause threatened to derail the fight, but that issue was resolved last week after PBC agreed that Golden Boy Promotions would serve as the lead promoter for the rematch if Garcia wins.

Only Davis can exercise the rematch clause in the event he loses, per sources. Typically, boxers have 30 days to activate their right to an immediate return bout.

Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) will earn the lion's share of revenue for the first fight, per sources, and is the betting favorite to win the bout. The Baltimore native defeated Hector Luis Garcia last month via ninth-round TKO to keep the Ryan Garcia matchup intact.

On Thursday, Davis pleaded guilty to four counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash in November 2020 in Baltimore that left four people injured, including a pregnant woman. Davis' sentencing is set for May 5, which means any potential punishment won't interfere with his ability to compete in April.

Davis is also set to be arraigned on Feb. 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in connection with a Dec. 27 misdemeanor domestic violence charge of battery causing bodily harm. Davis pleaded not guilty after allegedly hitting the mother of his 1-year-old daughter with a "closed-hand type slap," according to police, who said she suffered a small abrasion on the inside of her upper lip. She asked the court to dismiss charges in an affidavit filed Jan. 24.

Both Davis and Garcia announced on Instagram in mid-November that they would meet in a long-awaited fight in 2023, but it took months to reach an agreement on terms.

Davis, a 28-year-old from Baltimore, is one of the biggest needle-movers in boxing. "Tank" has 4.2 million Instagram followers and routinely fights before a host of celebrities. ESPN's No. 3 lightweight, Davis won a junior lightweight title with a seventh-round KO of Jose Pedraza in 2017.

Before he defeated Hector Luis Garcia, Davis scored wins over Isaac Cruz and Rolly Romero in 135-pound bouts.

Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) is a star, too, with over 9 million followers on Instagram. Regarded for his lightning-quick hands, the 24-year-old scored a career-best win in January 2021 after he survived a knockdown to stop Luke Campbell in the seventh round.

He didn't fight the rest of 2021 after he withdrew from a fight with Javier Fortuna to address his mental health followed by wrist surgery that scrapped a bout with Joseph Diaz Jr.

Garcia, who fights out of Southern California, returned last year with wins over Emmanuel Tagoe and Javier Fortuna at 140 pounds. Garcia, who formerly campaigned at 135 pounds, vowed to remain at 140 but will drop four pounds for the catchweight bout.

Garcia was set to fight Mercito Gesta in January, but he bypassed the planned tune-up bout to head directly into the high-stakes showdown with Davis.

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[ashall2]

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He tweeted it himself

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[ashall2]

Unbelievable fight. The type that restores your hope in boxing.

[Counter-puncher]

Unbelievable fight. The type that restores your hope in boxing.

fucken hell mate one swallow doesn't make a spring, and all that......

[Lightsoot]

Garcia is getting splattered. Mismatch.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Can’t wait for this fight. Fair play to all concerned for overcoming the many and varied obstacles to finally get it made.

Has Davis ever been in with someone who punches as hard as Garcia ? Maybe Garcia’s just too big for him.

[keithmoonhangover]

I quite fancy Garcia in this.

Oscar's very protective of his fighters and guides them very carefully. He wouldn't be letting Ryan fight Tank if he didn't think he had a good chance of winning.

[THEBUTCH]

This fight actually happening in April 2023 just seems too good to be true.

Davis' record speaks for itself but Garcia has come on in leaps & bounds. It still feels too soon for Garcia IMO and I would have liked to see him involved in another couple of world class fights before tackling Davis.

Roll on April

[tonyevs]

I quite fancy Garcia in this.

Oscar's very protective of his fighters and guides them very carefully. He wouldn't be letting Ryan fight Tank if he didn't think he had a good chance of winning.

He has had quite a few problems with ODLH. Maybe he is being cashed in now before he jumps, or as likely, implodes.

Tank has got to be the clear favourite here, but Garcia may just prove to be one of those rare tallents that are able to step it up and succeed in style.

[margaret thatcher]

wow, a sh!t hot fight actually gets made in fairly timely fashion, awesome

both very talented, but garcia really sticks his chin in the air and his trip to the canvas was from a southpaw left, i also think despite the length difference he doesnt really use his length most effectively. i lean tank, who aside from work rate and being 3 foot 2 i think is top notch in pretty much every area, also with deeper experience

[keithmoonhangover]

I quite fancy Garcia in this.

Oscar's very protective of his fighters and guides them very carefully. He wouldn't be letting Ryan fight Tank if he didn't think he had a good chance of winning.

He has had quite a few problems with ODLH. Maybe he is being cashed in now before he jumps, or as likely, implodes.

Tank has got to be the clear favourite here, but Garcia may just prove to be one of those rare tallents that are able to step it up and succeed in style.

I don't mind the taste of humble pie. Either way, this should be a great boxing contest.

[ashall2]

Unbelievable fight. The type that restores your hope in boxing.

fucken hell mate one swallow doesn't make a spring, and all that......

Keep the faith.

[Glass Joe]

still plenty of time for davis to get arrested and garcia to go missing.

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Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia: Rematch Clause Favors Davis In Contracts For April 22 PPV Fight

Gervonta Davis joked during his post-fight press conference January 8 that Ryan Garcia agreed to virtually everything proposed in their contracts for a pay-per-view showdown that was finalized last week for April 22.

Garcia’s eagerness to prove himself versus Davis is evident in the details of their rematch clause. BS.com has learned that it favors Davis because they are contractually obliged to a rematch only if Garcia defeats Davis in their 12-round, 136-pound bout.

If Davis loses, he will then have the option of exercising his contractual right to an immediate rematch within a certain amount of time following their fight. If Garcia loses, Davis, who is considered the “A” side of their event, won’t have a contractual obligation to fight him again.

Davis opened as slightly less than a 3-1 favorite to defeat Garcia, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

Davis, 28, and Garcia, 24, confirmed Friday through their social media accounts that their much-discussed deal was completed for April 22 at a site to be determined in Las Vegas. The targeted date for their fight had long been April 15, but it was pushed back one week.

A site deal for the Davis-Garcia card hadn’t been finalized as of Wednesday. Three Las Vegas venues – the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena – are under consideration for the highest-profile fight on the 2023 boxing calendar.

Garcia and Davis previously announced November 17 on social media that they tentatively agreed to fight sometime in 2023 in Las Vegas.

Baltimore’s Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) first needed to defeat Dominican southpaw Hector Luis Garcia in an interim bout that took place January 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Davis stopped Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs, 3 NC) early in the ninth round of their 12-round, 135-pound fight, which headlined a Showtime Pay-Per-View event.

Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), of Victorville, California, passed on a proposed tune-up fight against Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs), which would’ve taken place January 28. The popular knockout artist last fought July 16, when he dropped Dominican southpaw Javier Fortuna three times and knocked out Fortuna (37-4-1, 26 KOs, 2 NC) in the sixth round at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Vito Mielnicki Jr. To Face Elias Espadas on the undercard

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Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia could take place at gigantic $2billion ‘Death Star’ stadium in Las Vegas

Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia has now been officially announced to take place on April 22 in Las Vegas.

However, the specific venue has not yet been confirmed.

The 136lbs catchweight clash is one of the biggest fights in boxing and could take place on a huge stage.

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza has told ESPN Knockout that two venues being considered are the T-Mobile Arena and the the new Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020 for the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team.

This gigantic ultra-modern structure stands out in the Nevada desert, with Vegas’ other landmarks made to look small in comparison.

Sin City has never had a mega stadium before and is used to hosting big fights in its famous indoor arenas.

However, the T-Mobile Arena only has a capacity of around 20,000.

The Allegiant Stadium can host upwards of 60,000.

The stadium itself cost $1.975billion to build and ran $175million over the initial £1.8billion budget.

It has garnered the nickname ‘The Death Star’ because of the futuristic outer appearance.

The Allegiant Stadium was previously been linked with hosting Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 and Canelo Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders, with both ultimately going elsewhere.

It would be a stunning boxing debut for the venue if it ended up hosting Davis vs Garcia.

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Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia: T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas Site For April 22 PPV Fight

Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have a site for their pay-per-view showdown April 22 in Las Vegas.

Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime announced Monday night that Davis and Garcia will fight at T-Mobile Arena, the venue where numerous high-profile boxing events have been held since it opened in 2016. The Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and MGM Grand Garden Arena also were considered before organizers of Davis-Garcia agreed on T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Golden Knights.

Tickets for Davis-Garcia figure to sell out quickly. T-Mobile Arena can accommodate approximately 22,000 fans for boxing, roughly 5,000 more than nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena, which also has been the site of countless huge boxing cards since it opened in 1993.

Allegiant Stadium hasn’t held a boxing event since it opened in 2020. Thanks to expansive floor seating, Allegiant Stadium could hold more than 70,000 fans for boxing.

Neither Davis, who has packed various venues throughout the United States, nor Garcia have headlined a show at T-Mobile Arena. Davis and Garcia have fought once apiece at T-Mobile Arena, but on pay-per-view cards that featured Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, respectively.

Baltimore’s Davis and Garcia, of Victorville, California, officially announced February 24 through their social media accounts that their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event was set for April 22, a week later than anticipated. April 15 was the targeted date for their fight during much of the prolonged conclusion to their negotiations after Davis stopped Hector Luis Garcia on January 7, but it was pushed back one week.

Davis and Garcia initially announced on social media November 17 that they would fight on an unspecified date in 2023 at an undetermined venue in Las Vegas.

With their fight scheduled for six weeks from Saturday night, Davis and Garcia will participate in two press conferences this week to promote their 12-round, 136-pound bout.

Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) and Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) will first come face to face Wednesday in Manhattan. They’ll then fly to Los Angeles, where the rivals will participate in another press conference Thursday in Beverly Hills.

They’ll then return to their training camps to continue preparing for the biggest fight on the boxing calendar in the United States this year.

[stujones]

I like Davis in this one - Davis is a bit of a loose cannon out of the ring, but thus far seems to be very professional in camp and has always looked good. I've always felt Garcia needs more real testing fights before stepping up - of course he is world class, just he is in or around a division where the best are among the best P4P. I always thought he would be more Broner than Mayweather - but so far I have been proved wrong time and time again.

The likes of a Commey, Pedraza, Zepeda, Ramierez - good bridging fights between the likes of Campbell and the likes of Lopez, Lomachenko, Haney etc - he needed these types of fighters.

The weight though will suit Garcia, but I think Davis is at least a couple of levels above Campbell - is is arguably Garcia's best win and he didn't have it all his own way. He might even been down on the cards, but I like Davis to get the TKO late - Garcia stopped on his feet or the towel thrown in.

This would also give a decent indication of that all British fight that it was criminal we never saw - Luke Campbell vs Liam Walsh.

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