Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis Vs. Hector Luis Garcia: Odds, Records, Prediction

Whatever narrative that Gervonta “Tank” Davis wanted to bring in to his Saturday night lightweight showdown with Hector Luis Garcia was obliterated last month when Davis was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge of battery. It’s not the first time Davis has been accused of putting his hands on a woman, and it’s turned his anticipated matchup vs. the dangerous Garcia into a fight that viewers might be uncomfortable watching. But the fight will happen regardless. As such, here’s everything you need to know about Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Davis has been feuding online with Ryan Garcia, and the two are expected to meet in April. But before then, Davis said he’d take a tuneup against the undefeated Hector Garcia, who had one of the best 2022s of anybody in boxing when he upset one of the sport’s biggest prospects and then won a 130-pound title in his next fight.

“He’s training hard and I know that someone like Garcia isn’t just someone stepping in. He’s been training for me for a long time,” Davis said in the days before his arrest. “Hector is a sound fighter who’s beat some top guys. He’s a durable guy who’s coming to fight. He’s undefeated and he’s a great opponent. You can’t sleep on him. If you’re sleeping on him, he might put you to sleep.”

Garcia, for his part, feels confident. And why shouldn’t he? He was basically a nobody in 2021, but 12 months later, he’s put himself into position to beat one of the most-talented boxers in the world.

“Davis, in my opinion, is a top pound-for-pound fighter and one of the biggest punchers in boxing, so I know going into this fight that I’m an underdog,” Garcia said. “Not a lot of people are giving me a chance in this fight, but that’s what motivates me. I was in the same situation going into the [Chris] Colbert fight, but this time I had a real training camp. I believe my style will give Tank problems. I’m a southpaw with many tricks and I will be using all of them when I step in the ring on Jan. 7.”

It will be interesting to see how many fans buy this PPV. Davis is a surefire hit at the box office, and he’s proven that he can sell tickets while fighting in his native Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. And in an era where not many fighters can break 200,000 PPV buys, Davis has shown he can manage more than that just about every time he fights.

But now that he’s been accused twice of domestic violence and considering he’s still awaiting trial on an alleged hit and run accident that injured four people, including a pregnant woman, you have to wonder if people will still feel OK tuning in to watch Davis perform in the ring.

Here’s more info on the Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Showtime PPV or on PPV.com for $74.99 beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia odds

Despite Garcia’s talent and recent big wins, the oddsmakers have still made him a longshot. Davis is a -1600 favorite (bet $1,600 to win $100), while Garcia is a +750 underdog (win $750 to win $100). I actually wouldn’t mind you putting a little money on Garcia, especially if you think there’s a 12% or better chance he can pull off the upset. I like that +1200 for Garcia to win by decision even better.

If you like Davis, it won’t be easy to find a ton of value. Avoid the money line, and I wouldn’t even bother with the -400 odds on the Davis by KO/TKO prop bet. You could go with Davis to win by stoppage in rounds 7-12 for +105 or by stoppage in rounds 5-8 at +175. But honestly, I don’t like those odds either. If you’d rather do an over-under wager, over 7.5 rounds is -125 and under 7.5 rounds is -110.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia records

Even after 27 fights and plenty of hype, Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) still doesn’t have a signature victory on his resume. That would change if he beat Ryan Garcia in April. But there’s no doubt that Davis is one of the strongest punchers in the game, knocking out Leo Santa Cruz, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Jose Pedraza.

Though Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) was basically an unknown at this point one year ago, he stamped himself as a championship-level fighter by upsetting undefeated prospect Chris Colbert on short notice and then knocking off Roger Gutierrez for a junior lightweight belt. Whether those two big wins show he’s capable of upsetting Davis, well, that’s hard to know (though I wouldn’t bet on it).

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia prediction

Some observers this week have compared Garcia to Isaac Cruz, at least in the way that they both could make life difficult for Davis early in the fight by out-boxing him and frustrating him. It’s possible that Garcia, like Cruz did, could have success in the first few rounds. But Davis is entrenched at 135 pounds, while Garcia is moving up in weight for this fight. We know Davis is an elite talent; is Garcia? When Davis lands a clean shot, I’m not sure Garcia can handle it. Say Davis by stoppage in the seventh round.