By Vince Dwriter: Fight fans have spent the year 2022 impatiently waiting for a marquee matchup to get finalized, and on November 17, the fans received some thrilling news as Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Ryan Garcia both confirmed that in 2023 they will finally face each other inside the squared circle.
Both boxers are undefeated, both are in the prime of their careers, and both men are ready for this event to finally happen. During the past few months, Davis and Garcia shared their frustrations via social media in regard to the roadblocks they faced during the process of trying to get this fight signed, sealed, and delivered.
The two boxing stars verbalized the fact that they wanted to fight each other, but the business elements of the fight game had to fall in the proper positions. Apparently, everything is now in order, and the super fight, which has a confirmed location in Las Vegas, Nevada, is set to take place in 2023 at a catch-weight of 136-pounds.
In January 2021, ESPN acknowledged the rise of the lightweight division as they billed Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez as the new “Four Kings.”
A week later, while making a guest appearance on Mike Tyson’s ‘Hotboxin’ podcast, Ryan Garcia had his first face-to-face interaction with Tank Davis via video chat.
The two boxing stars would go on to continue their individual success inside the ring, and periodically they would trade verbal shots with each other by way of social media. The social media exchanges intensified the rivalry, and it increased the demand for a Davis vs. Garcia clash.
The fanbases became extremely excited in August 2022 when Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya conducted an interview, and he stated the two sides were talking. A day later, De La Hoya flipped the script when he was asked to give an update on the negotiations, and he stated nobody from Tank’s side picked up their phone.
In the month of September and October, false reports were leaked in regards to Davis and Garcia agreeing to a deal. After absorbing the false reports, fight fans had to endure the complications of the business of boxing as it was starting to seem like the fight wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Fortunately, Davis and Garcia stayed adamant in their aspiration to face each other in the ring, and as a result, their representatives kept the negotiations active until they were able to reach an agreement.
Before he steps in the ring with his arch-rival, Baltimore native Gervonta Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) also confirmed that he will be in action on January 7 in Washington, D.C. Davis provided the date and the location, but he said to stay tuned for the details in regards to the identity of his opponent.
As for Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs), he didn’t give any indication of stepping into the ring prior to his showdown with Davis. He seemed very excited and satisfied with what he had in front of him.
“I’m so pumped for this fight finally in place- I want it more than anything right now. I’ve put in the work; I’m in the prime of my career, and I know I’m going to be the biggest boxer in the world. That legacy starts today.”
One of the major talking points during the negotiations had to deal with the airing of the event. Gervonta Davis’s fights are exclusively televised on Showtime, while Ryan Garcia’s promotional company Golden Boy, has a business arrangement with DAZN.
The two sides were able to compromise as the Davis-Garcia pay-per-view will be produced and distributed by Showtime, and DAZN will also offer the pay-per-view through their streaming service.