Gervonta Davis Emerges as Boxing's Leading Figure with Knockout of Ryan García in Las Vegas | Boxing | The Guardian

In a highly anticipated fight, Gervonta Davis knocked out Ryan Garcia with a powerful body shot in the seventh round, solidifying his status as the face of American boxing. The three-division champion, nicknamed Tank, sent Garcia to the canvas in the second round before finishing him off with an uppercut to the ribs in front of a full house at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The showdown between the unbeaten knockout artists, represented by rival companies and broadcasters, lived up to its considerable hype. Davis, who improved his unbeaten record to 29-0, moves forward as the sport’s biggest star in the United States.

No titles were on the line, but the stakes were high. The 28-year-old Davis, who faces the prospect of jail time stemming from a November 2020 hit-and-run, now enjoys all the privileges of being America's top boxing star.

Garcia, 24, from Orange County and living in Los Angeles, was quick to attack, throwing jabs and straights to the head and body. However, southpaw Davis, with his concussive power in both hands, did not throw a punch in the initial three minutes, patiently sizing up his opponent.

Davis appeared to be in trouble early in the second after Garcia landed a combination, but the former quickly recovered, catching Garcia with a counter-left that sent him to the canvas.

Although Garcia made it to the bell, Davis continued to dominate, backing up his opponent with his unpredictable array of feints and upper-body movement.

In the seventh round, Davis delivered the final blow with a straight left hand to Garcia’s liver, sending him down. Garcia was unable to recover, and Davis's victory was secured.

The win was career-defining for Davis, who has sold out arenas across the country and won belts at 126lbs, 130lbs, and 135lbs.

Garcia, who absorbed his first defeat of his 24-fight professional career, said, “It’s all love at the end of the day. I was honored to be in the ring with a great fighter and I respect him a lot.”

Davis’s win could set the stage for a lightweight showdown with Devin Haney, who has consolidated all four major title belts at 135lbs and faces Vasiliy Lomachenko next month. But his immediate future is up in the air after he entered a guilty plea in January to four counts stemming from a hit-and-run which left four people hospitalized, including a pregnant woman. After the judge overseeing the case rejected a plea deal that would have allowed him to serve 60 days of unsupervised home detention, Davis faces the real prospect of jail time at his sentencing on 5 May.

His legal troubles don’t end there. Davis, whose history of gender-based violence is well-documented, has another court date next month in Florida after a December incident in which he was accused of battery (the plaintiff, the mother of Davis’s daughter, has since filed an affadavit requesting to have the charges dismissed).

But for now, Davis can bask in the glow of his career-best triumph after further building on the promise first made clear six years ago, when he became boxing’s second-youngest world champion at just 22 years old.

“The reality definitely matches the dream,” Davis said. “But the job is never done until I retire so I’m going to keep my head down, stay humble and continue to work.”