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

Among the best four established lightweights in the world (Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko), Saturday night’s Showtime PPV will be the first time the boxing world has seen any of them in the ring together. Which is only one reason why Davis vs. Garcia is such a fascinating showdown. Here’s everything you need to know about Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

This fight has been simmering for more than a year, and on Saturday, the two undefeated 135-pounders will finally meet in what is the most anticipated fight of 2023 thus far. Both have one-punch KO power. Both are skillful boxers. Both are tough. Both are determined. Neither of them holds a lightweight world title, but in this case, that hardly matters.

“Ryan is going to have to show me that he has more than just a left hook,” Davis said. “I’m going to be on point that night because I’m getting ready for the best Ryan Garcia. I just don’t feel that he’s a complete fighter, and come April 22, I’m going to show him.

“This win would mean a lot. Beating someone young, explosive and in their prime says a lot . . . This is going to be spectacular. It’s going to be two young guys who are hungry.”

And two guys who have shown that they don’t much like each other.

“It’s a moment that I’ve been envisioning for so long now,” Garcia said. “It’s the only thing I’ve wanted for so long — to defeat Gervonta Davis and to destroy him. To end everything that he’s ever worked for, because I know he’s trying to do that for me. I’m going to take him out. He’s done. It’s nap time for Gervonta.

“I’m just going to be focused in the ring, no matter if it’s the first round, second round, third round. Any of the rounds, he can go to sleep. He’s going to have to be careful. That’s what I have to tell him. Be careful. I don’t think he is, and he’s going to walk into one. Or I’m just going to go get him. Either way, I’m going to beat him.”

Both fighters are proven commodities, inside and outside the ring. Davis has proven himself to be the top ticket seller among all American fighters (Deontay Wilder might be close, though), and Garcia’s social media following is immense and intense.

A Davis win would solidify him as one of the best fighters in the world (he certainly has the talent for that distinction but not the resume). A Garcia win could catapult him into the pound-for-pound discussion.

Here’s more info on the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia PPV showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on PPV.com for $84.99 beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia odds

The odds for Davis vs. Garcia have fluctuated a bit this week, and as of Friday, it seems the late money was coming in on Garcia, who’s still a +195 underdog (win $195 on a $100 bet). Davis is the betting favorite at -225 (bet $225 to win $100). Earlier this week, though, I saw Davis as high as -280 with Garcia at +220. At this point, I’d ignore Davis’ money line, and unless Garcia cracked the +250 mark, I probably wouldn’t bother with his either.

I’d prefer wagering on either fighter to win by decision—Davis is +400 and Garcia is +750—because even though there’s a good chance for a stoppage for either fighter, I’d rather wager on the plus money side. I also kind of like the prop bets of the fighters being knocked down. Garcia is -170 to hit the canvas at least once, while Davis is +240. If you wager on both fighters being knocked down, you’d get +450 odds.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia records

If there’s a flaw in Davis’ claim as a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter, it’s that he’s never faced an A-level fighter in their natural weight class in the prime of their career. Still, en route to his 28-0 (26 KOs) record, Davis has beaten Leo Santa Cruz, Jose Pedraza, Isaac Cruz and Hector Luis Garcia. All are impressive fighters who are at the world title level. But none of them are as dangerous as Garcia is to Davis.

In the most important fight of his career prior to Saturday, Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) had to survive a knockdown vs. Luke Campbell in January 2021 before he eventually stormed back and stopped Campbell. It showed that Garcia has grit. He’s also shown he’s got plenty of KO power, as he’s proved by stopping solid fighters like Javier Fortuna, Francisco Fonseca and Romero Duno.

Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Ryan Garcia prediction

I’ve been going over this in my head all week, and I still don’t have a great feeling for my prediction. I think this will be a close fight, and I think both fighters will hurt the other. Maybe we’ll see a couple of knockdowns. But in the end, Davis is a special fighter, and I’m not 100% sure I can say the same for Garcia. Let’s go with Davis by decision, somewhere in the 116-112 range.