It’s the fight before the fight.

As boxing fans turn eyes and crossed fingers to a planned lightweight showdown between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, Davis is making a stop along the way. 

Returning to the mid-Atlantic area for the first time since his hometown knockout of Ricardo Nunez in 2019, Davis could have picked an easier out and gotten away with it. Instead, headlining the Capital One Arena for the first time since Mike Tyson in 2005, Davis is opting for one of the best and hottest Jr. lightweights in the world.

Sometimes, victory has its rewards.

Hector Garcia couldn’t know what his February 2022 win over Chris Colbert was opening a door to, but that popular choice for Upset of the Year altered the trajectory of Garcia’s career. Instead of the streaking Colbert, it was Garcia who got a crack at the WBA crown against Roger Gutierrez and Garcia who gets the call for this Saturday night (Showtime PPV, 8 PM EST). 

On a night meant to set a stage, can Garcia blow the stage up altogether?

Let’s get into it. 

Stats and Stakes

Gervonta Davis 

Age: 28

Titles: None*

Previous Titles: IBF Super Featherweight (2017, 1 Defense); WBA Super Featherweight (2018-19, 2 Defenses; 2020-21)

Height: 5’5 ½  

Weight: 134 lbs.

Stance: Southpaw

Hails from: Baltimore, Maryland

Record: 27-0, 25 KO

Press Rankings: #2 (TBRB, Ring), #3 (ESPN, BoxRec) 

Record in Major Title Fights: 6-0, 6 KO (10-0, 9 KO including WBA sub-titles)

Last Five Opponents: 129-4-2 (.963)

Notable Outcomes, Ring/TBRB Rated Foes: Jose Pedraza TKO7; Leo Santa Cruz KO6; Mario Barrios TKO11; Isaac Cruz UD12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Hugo Ruiz KO1; Yuriorkis Gamboa TKO12

*Holds WBA sub-title at lightweight, attempting 4th defense; also held WBA sub-title at Jr. welterweight in 2021   

Vs.

Hector Luis Garcia  

Age: 31

Title: WBA Super Featherweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’9  

Weight: 134 lbs.

Stance: Southpaw

Hails from: San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic

Record: 16-0 (10 KO)

Press Rankings: At 130 lbs. - #2 (TBRB, Ring), #4 (ESPN), #5 (BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 1-0

Last Five Opponents: 81-25-2 (.759)

Notable Outcomes, Ring/TBRB Rated Foes: Chris Colbert UD12; Roger Gutierrez UD12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None

*Held WBA interim title at lightweight

The Pick: On paper, Garcia looks like he brings some physical edges into this clash of southpaws but the eyes say something different. While BoxRec lists Garcia at 5’9, photos of the two fighters don’t indicate a near four-inch height advantage. The arm length difference is negligible and Garcia is coming up in weight to face a man who has competed successfully as high as Jr. welterweight. For Garcia to win, he’s going to have to thread a difficult technical needle.

Davis can be tough to catch clean but his low punch output can sometimes encourage opponents to open up in pursuit of winning frames. More often than not, it has meant leaving openings for Davis’s devastating counter punching to carry the day. Garcia throws more than Davis, in some previous fights tending to double the output of Davis.

To win Saturday, Garcia will have to outwork Davis and bank rounds but he will have to do so with an abundance of caution and intelligent variety to the head and body. Garcia has to turn Davis’s selective offense into a weapon in his favor without getting iced. 

That’s a tall order.

The most likely scenario is Garcia creates enough offense to make the upset look possible but Davis is the quicker, more experienced fighter and one of the better fighters in boxing currently at setting traps. Eventually, any success Garcia has is going to mean vulnerability and betting on someone to survive Davis’s best shots has only worked out twice and Davis still won those fights on the cards. The pick is Davis by stoppage in an enjoyable battle.   

Rold Picks 2022: 59-18

Rold Picks 2023: 0-0

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com