By Marcelo Maximilian, Staff Reporter
The five-time, three-division world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan “King Ry” Garcia will go head-to-head on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight can be viewed live on Showtime Pay-Per-View or purchased on DAZN.
Between the long wait since their announcement on Instagram last November, the two heated press conferences and the unexpected rehydration clause implemented by the Davis team, the lead-up to the fight has been a whirlwind of excitement for fans.
Davis said he placed the 10-pound rehydration clause in the contract after Garcia declined to fight at 135-pounds. Some have speculated Davis’s decision to change the weight class from 138 to 136 pounds in the time frame of two weeks in addition to the rehydration clause as a manipulative tactic to mentally attack his opponent to get an edge before the fight.
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds at a catchweight of 136 pounds; one pound over the weight limit.
Davis’ most recent victory was on Jan. 7 versus Hector Garcia by ninth-round technical knockout, adding the WBA lightweight title to his current record of 28-0-0 with 26 knockouts.
The Southern California native, Garcia fights at an orthodox stance and has both a reach advantage at 70 inches and a height advantage over Davis at 5 feet 10 inches with a record of 23-0-0 and 19 knockouts. Garcia’s most recent victory was against Javier Fortuna by sixth-round knockout.
Davis said he is unphased by Garcia and views him as a one-trick pony, who only has a left hook. The main card is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the ring walk is expected at 8 p.m.
