Davis, Garcia agree to terms but hurdles remain before fight is set
Both eye interim bouts ahead of April 15 target date
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Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia announced on social media on Thursday that they will finally fight in a long-awaited bout, but there is still work to be done.
While all involved said there is an agreement in place for a 12-round bout at a catch weight of 136 pounds — one over the lightweight limit — there is nothing signed and there are issues that could derail the bout.
One is that Davis plans to take an interim bout and Garcia may also, and losses by either would like kill the fight. Davis also faces a criminal trial in February and prison time if convicted on hit-and-run charges.
If the camps are able to finalize the paperwork — which is not done yet — and neither loses or is injured in a tune-up fight, and Davis’ legal issues are handled, they would meet on April 15, sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite.
The sides said the fight would take place at a site to be determined in Las Vegas.
Showtime, the network Davis fights on, will produce and distribute the fight on Showtime PPV and that broadcast would also be available via pay-per-view on DAZN, the streaming platform that Garcia, through his promotional deal with Golden Boy, fights on, sources said.
The fighters pushed hard for the bout despite what sources said was reluctance from their teams to make the match, which is one of the most anticipated in boxing between stars with exciting styles and big fan bases.
“I’m so pumped this fight is finally in place,” Garcia wrote on social media. “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
“Boxing NEEDS this fight right now. 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.”
Garcia added in a separate statement, “I am going to knock ‘Tank’ out and take my place as the face of our incredible sport, and I’m bringing a new generation of boxing fans with me. I appreciate ‘Tank’ volunteering to get beat so that I can get to work.”
Garcia had both of his bouts in 2022 at junior welterweight and did not want to drop back all the way to lightweight, so he and Davis agreed to meet at 136 pounds, which means Davis’ secondary lightweight title will not be on the line. Davis has fought once before at junior welterweight and knocked out the much bigger Mario Barrios in the 11th round for a secondary belt in June 2021.
Besides getting all the paperwork in order, there is also the issue of Davis’ tune-up bout against an opponent to be named. It is penciled in for Jan. 7, likely in Washington, D.C. — about an hour from Davis’ hometown of Baltimore — against an opponent to be determined.
“I’ll be back in the ring Jan 7,” Davis posted to social media. “Stay tuned for more details! After that it’s me and Ryan! DONE DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! TELL EM GET THE BRINKS TRUCK READY!!!!!!!”
Davis also faces serious legal issues that potentially could derail a fight with Garcia. He faces 14 charges related to an alleged hit-and-run accident in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2020 in Baltimore that injured four people. If convicted, Davis faces a maximum of 50 months in prison. His trial was initially scheduled to begin Dec. 12 but was postponed and is now set to begin Feb. 16.
The deal was complicated and difficult to make in large measure for two reasons: the poor relationship between Golden Boy Promotions and Davis adviser Al Haymon and issues over which company, Showtime or DAZN, would handle the broadcast.
According to sources, Garcia pushed as hard as he could and more or less forced Golden Boy to accept the short end of the deal. While Golden Boy and DAZN pushed to make it a joint pay-per-view with Showtime, Showtime had no interest in sharing the event, mainly because Davis is a proven pay-per-view fighter and Garcia is not and because Showtime has decades of experience of putting on mega fights and DAZN does not. But again, Garcia did everything he could to force Golden Boy and DAZN to agree that Showtime would handle the broadcast, according to sources.
“‘Tank’ Davis versus Ryan Garcia is one of the biggest and most exciting fights that can be made in boxing,” Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said. “We have two supremely talented boxers, both in their prime, who have amassed huge fan bases, meeting in a career-defining fight. This is the epitome of a crossover boxing event. All credit to ‘Tank’ and Ryan for staying the course and giving the fans the fight they want.
“Showtime has delivered the three biggest pay-per-view events in television history and we are thrilled to add this marquee event to our list of culture-moving matchups.”
DAZN executive Joe Markowski painted a rosy picture of the deal in a social media post.
“As we've always said, DAZN will look to broadcast the biggest fights in boxing,” Markowski wrote. “We’ve worked tirelessly with our friends at Golden Boy, Showtime and Team Davis on a deal structure that suits all parties for Gervonta. Everyone at DAZN is thrilled that an agreement in principle has been reached between the parties. That agreement is subject to contract, which are yet to be exchanged.”
Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya also said he was happy to come to terms, even if the paperwork is not done yet and his broadcaster was shut out.
“The fans have been crystal clear that the fight they want is Ryan versus ‘Tank’. Golden Boy Promotions and I are proud to be leading the drive to get this fight signed and are excited to get a deal finalized ASAP,” De La Hoya said. “It’s high time that those outside the ring stop getting in the way of those who want nothing more than to get into the ring and fight. Our motto has always been that the fans come first, and this is just another example of how we’re leading by example.”
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs), 28, a two-time world titlist at junior lightweight, who has also won secondary titles at lightweight and junior welterweight, fought just once this year, a spectacular sixth-round knockout of Rolando Romero on Showtime PPV on May 28 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), 24, of Los Angeles, who briefly held an interim lightweight belt, fought just once in 2020 and once in 2021, in part due to mental health issues that caused him to withdraw from a fight and then from another one in late 2021 due to a right hand injury that required surgery. But he fought twice this year, knocking Emmanuel Tagoe down in the second round and cruising to a one-sided decision on April 9 in San Antonio followed by a dominating sixth-round knockout of Javier Fortuna on July 16 in Los Angeles.
Garcia photo: Golden Boy
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Thanks for the update Dan!
But it is hard to be optimistic with so many factors besides "the contracts". Just to name a few, both fighters need to;
- win their interim bouts (likely to happen);
- not get injured or cut during the interim bouts;
- not get injured in camp leading up to fighting each other;
...oh! Davis needs to not go to jail also!
Can’t wait to see the sanctioning bandits tripping over themselves to make some vacant-interim-regular-catchweight super championship available for the big fight!
Sure hope this gets over the finish line…