Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Fight Card, Odds, & Predictions

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Ryan Garcia, right, and Javier Fortuna exchange punches during a lightweight boxing match Saturday, July 16, 2022.
(AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Anatoly Pimentel @AnatolyPimentel Apr 18, 2023, 8:32 PM
  • Gervonta Davis is the betting favorite at -250.
  • Ryan Garcia is the betting underdog at +220.

Two of the most popular and undefeated young boxing stars today will finally face each other in the boxing ring this Saturday, April 22, as Gervonta Davis (28-0) meets Ryan Garcia (23-0) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The high-profile match goes down in a 136-pound catchweight clash to determine the better boxer among them.

Because of his more stacked pile of victories and titles, Davis comes in as the considerable betting favorite in boxing odds at -250. Davis’ boxing world title belts include the IBF Super Featherweight title, WBA Super Featherweight title, WBA Lightweight title, WBA Super Featherweight title, and the WBA Light Welterweight title.

Meanwhile, he has only won minor and interim boxing titles so far in his career, collecting the NABF Junior Super Featherweight title, NABF Super Featherweight title, WBO NABO Super Featherweight title, WBC Silver Lightweight title, WBO NABO Lightweight title, and the WBC Interim World Lightweight title.

Another huge factor in their respective roles in online sports betting is the finishing rate, with Davis disposing of 26 of his 28 opponents at a 96% rate, while Garcia ended 19 out of his 23 bouts, equivalent to 82%. Regardless of this mega showdown’s result, the boxers’ popularity and stock will surely skyrocket.

Gervonta Davis Recent Fight Results

Gervonta Davis was a former USA National Golden Glove Champion in 2012 for the 56 KG category. After that stint in the amateurs, Davis transitioned to the pros and quickly collected 16 straight victories, including 15 TKO/KOs since his debut in February 2013. These impressive wins have primed “Tank” to fight for world titles.

In January 2017, Davis challenged Jose Pedraza for the IBF World Super Featherweight title, and he passed the test with flying colors with a seventh-round TKO stoppage of Pedraza to win his first boxing title. Four months later, he defended that title over Liam Walsh with a third-round TKO to retain his belt.

After getting stripped of his title by Walsh, the Baltimore native reclaimed his belt in August 2018 with an eighth-round knockout of Francisco Fonseca. In 2018, Davis appeared in only one bout but managed to add another title to his resume with his WBA Super World Super Featherweight triumph over Jesus Cuellar via third-round TKO.

The 28-year-old fended off two challengers, Hugo Ruiz in February 2019 and Ricardo Nunez in July 2019, to keep his WBA Super World Featherweight title. It was “Tank’s” appearance in the division as he officially moved up in weight to face Yuriorkis Gamboa in December 2019 for the vacant WBA World Lightweight belt.

Davis dominated Gamboa throughout their match and eventually scored a 12th-round TKO finish to add another title to his collection. Since then, he never let go of the WBA title and was able to defend it five more times over Leo Santa Cruz (sixth-round knockout), Mario Barrios (11th-round TKO), Isaac Cruz (unanimous decision), Rolando Romero (sixth-round TKO), and Hector Luis Garcia (ninth-round TKO).

Ryan Garcia Recent Fight Results

Ryan Garcia had a brief amateur career, but he was able to win the 2014 silver medal in USA Junior National Championships for the under-17 bracket and the gold medal in the 2016 USA Youth National Championships for the under-19 category. Following this short campaign in the unpaid ranks, Garcia turned professional in June 2016.

“King Ry” began his career on a winning note by turning back Edgar Meza with a first-round TKO stoppage. Following that successful debut triumph, Garcia amassed nine consecutive wins against Hector Garcia, Luis Lozano, Christian Chacon, Jonathan Cruz, Mario Aguirre, Jose Antonio Martinez, Devon Jones, Tyrone Luckey, and Mario Antonio Macias.

This winning streak paved the way for the Los Angeles native to be featured in a title fight with Miguel Carrizoza for the vacant NABF Junior Super Featherweight title in September 2017, which Garcia won by first-round knockout. The 24-year-old successfully defended this belt versus Cesar Zatarain in his following match via third-round TKO.

In his next six ensuing fights, the American of Mexican descent extended his unbeaten streak to 18 with an eighth-round TKO of Noe Martinez Raygoza, first-round knockout of Fernando Parra, unanimous decision against Jayson Valdez, a majority decision over Carlos Morales, fifth-round knockout of Braulio Rodriguez, and a second-round corner retirement of Jose Lopez.

Garcia’s last previous fights saw him with the WBC Silver Lightweight title, WBO NABO Lightweight title, and the WBC Interim World Lightweight title against Romero Dunno (first-round knockout), Francisco Fonseca (first-round knockout), Luke Campbell (seventh-round TKO),  Emmanuel Tagoe (unanimous decision), and Javier Fortuna (sixth-round knockout).

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Tale of the Tape

Gervonta DavisRyan Garcia
Age2824
Height5’5½” 5’10”
Reach67.5 inches 70 inches
Record28-023-0
StanceSouthpawOrthodox
TKO/KO Percentage92%82%

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Fight Analysis

The physical attributes of this upcoming big-time showdown favor Garcia, as he has the 4.5-inch height and 2.5-inch reach advantage against Davis. However, the credentials, record, and finishing rate all side Davis, with him being four years older, with five more wins and a 10% higher TKO/KO percentage to boot.

In terms of style, it will be a battle of techniques because Davis is a southpaw known for his counterpunching. This approach by “Tank” allows him to find the best angle for his power shots and combinations, which folds and sleeps most of his opponents. Aside from finding the best angle for his shots, it also allows Davis to nullify any reach disadvantage, allowing him to close the distance.

On the other side, Garcia is the more puncher among the two, who relies heavily on his speed, footwork, and instincts. Because he has these in the mix, he surprises opponents with lightning-quick shots, especially his signature and deadly left hook. Unfortunately, this technique of Garcia is a double-edged sword because he lacks the technicality to adjust mid-fight if his style can’t find success (at least for now).

The key for Davis in this match is to perfectly time a power punch counter to either Garcia’s chin or body and potentially start a barrage of punches, while Garcia needs to fully maximize his height, reach and speed advantages to set up and land his patented left hook. Also, if Garcia indeed lands this lethal punch on Davis, he must not go crazy to end the fight quickly; instead, he must be patient and pick his shots.

Regardless of Garcia’s aforementioned upper hand over Davis, the wealth of experience, maturity, and fight IQ of “Tank” should be enough to earn him the victory over “King Ry” and move forward to more title fights and high-profile matches later this year. Needless to say, experience beats raw talent.

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Date and Start Time

April 22, 2023, 8:30 p.m. PT

April 22, 2023, 9:30 p.m. CT

April 22, 2023, 11:30 p.m. ET

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia: Fight Prediction

Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Gervonta Davis.

See the entire Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia odds and wagers here.

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About the Author

Anatoly Pimentel

Read More @AnatolyPimentel

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.

Anatoly Pimentel is an NBA and MMA writer previously featured in ASEAN Sports, Asian Persuasion MMA, and Overtime Heroics MMA. He graduated from Adamson University with a B.A in Communication and is a Web Content Writer for BetMGM.