LOS ANGELES – Ryan Garcia likes his chances to beat Gervonta Davis despite being a consensus betting underdog. 

The FanDuel sportsbook lists Davis as a -260 betting favorite, and Garcia as a +192 betting underdog.

Despite the odds, Garcia believes he’ll be the one cashing in after betting on himself for the opportunity to fight Tank.

Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) had to cater to several contractual demands in order to make the fight happen with Davis (28-0, 26 KOs).

One of the main sticking points was that Garcia had to agree to fight Davis at a 136-pound catchweight once they meet on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view.

There is also a 10-pound rehydration clause in the contract.  

The bigger Garcia’s preference was to fight at 140, a weight class in which he’s fought his last two fights in 2022, and a division that Davis has fought once before against Mario Barrios in 2021. 

“I’m here to win and I promise you that I have heart and determination like you’ve never seen before. ‘Tank’ likes to fight guys that don’t hit hard, but I hit hard. When I hit you with that left hook, you’re gonna be on the floor. Asleep. Good night,” Garcia said during a kickoff press conference at The Beverly Hilton. 

“This is such a big event, but I know that I’m coming out on top. It’s one thing to get to the moment, but it’s another to conquer the moment. So I’m not just happy that we’re here, now I’m focused on winning.”

Davis appears unbothered by Garcia's skillset. The knockout artist claimed the only punch his counterpart possesses in his arsenal is a left hook. 

“I’m just going to let him think what he thinks. If he thinks all I have is the left hook, then he’s going to run into other shots and be confused. If he had watched any of my fights he’d know what else I have,” said Garcia. “Don’t be mad that my left hook is blessed. Maybe that’s all I need. Maybe that’s all it’s gonna take.

“He’s going to try to walk me down, but when he feels shots like this, he’s not going to want to do that. I’m going to hit him to the body and take the aggression out of him. I have a lot of ways to stop him.”

Davis declared during the media gathering that he feels as though he’s already the current face of boxing – a title that can also be argued for the likes of Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, and others. 

Garcia believes he’ll carry the new title should he beat his adversary. 

“I’m not here to lie, he’s ready to fight. He wants to bring it. He doesn’t look scared, but I’m ready to fight too. We both have fire in our eyes,” said Garcia. “Whoever wins is the face of boxing and I truly believe that. I’m gonna beat him and I’m gonna knock him out.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.