A pair of unbeaten combatants square off in a lightweight fight on Saturday opening the New Year in style. However, these aren’t your normal undefeated fighters. Gervonta Davis is a massive favorite to retain his WBA (regular) lightweight title, which he’s held since a TKO of Yuriorkis Gamboa in December 2019.
Davis successfully defended his title three times, most recently with a sixth round TKO of Rolando Romero in May. Davis has held multiple world championships in several weight classes, including the WBA (super) super featherweight title twice and the WBA (regular) super lightweight title. He’s destroyed everything in his path and is a ridiculous -1515 favorite to take out Hector Luis Garcia (+880).
It’s hard to imagine such drastic odds since Garcia has put together an impressive pro resume following an equally impressive amateur career. However, stretching his unbeaten string to 17 is asking a lot since this will be the biggest bout of his career. Garcia is a technically sound boxer with an aggressive style. He has the height and reach edge over Davis, but he needs to be smart about how to use them.
Davis vs Luis Garcia Odds
Gervonta Davis -1515
Hector Luis Garcia +881
Rounds: Over 7.5 (-151) / Under 7.5 (+121)
The 12-round lightweight fight between Gervonta Davis ( 27-0, 25 KOs) and Hector Luis Garcia ( 16-0, 10 KOs) will be held at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Saturday, January 7, 2023. This is the main event on a scheduled four-fight ticket scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime PPV.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia Fight Preview
The odds suggest an easy victory for Davis after pummeling the previous 27 opponents. However his actions outside the ring could play a pivotal role not only on Saturday but throughout his career. Davis was arrested last week on an alleged domestic battery charge, and it wasn’t his first go-round with the law. The victim in the domestic recanted her accusations and the main event will proceed as scheduled. Maybe Davis’ rebellious attitude is what makes him one of the biggest starts in the sport.
A mistake Davis can’t make is overlooking his opponent. Davis and unbeaten Ryan Garcia have an agreement in place for a super fight sometime in the middle of 2023, all based on Davis winning Saturday. And Garcia isn’t one to be taken lightly. A focused Davis is clearly the better fighter possessing a lethal combination of ability and power. The jumps in weight class haven’t affected him with massive amounts of pain distributed equally among all opponents. Davis finished 25 of his 27 fights.
Sending Jesus Cuellar to the canvas twice in the third round provided Davis the WBA (super) super featherweight title in 2018. He successfully defended the title twice with KOs of Hugo Ruiz and Ricardo Nunez before silencing Gamboa to claim his current WBA (regular) lightweight title. Davis defended his belt and won the WBA (super) super featherweight title again with a sixth-round KO of Leo Santa Cruz on Halloween 2020.
Back in December 2021, Davis went the 12-round distance for the first time in his career earning a unanimous decision over Isaac Cruz, who was a late fill-in for then unbeaten WBA interim lightweight champ Rolando Romero. Davis later revealed he sustained a hand injury in that bout preventing him from throwing his usual devastating punches.
Garcia has earned a few upsets in his career most recently outdistancing Roger Colbert by a wide margin on the scorecards in an eliminator bout 11 months ago in what some called the upset of the year. Garcia outpointed Roger Gutierrez last time out to claim the WBA super featherweight title. The Dominican is skillful and aggressive, and he’s not going to back down against Davis. “We’re coming to make this a battle. Whether it’s toe-to-toe or he wants to move and box, me and my trainer are ready,” Garcia said recently.
Prediction: Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia
There is no value taking Davis on the moneyline so looking into alternate markets is worth a shot. He’s gone the distance just twice with the first a six-rounder early in his career. It’s still a reach but taking Davis to win a decision has plus odds. And I think this fight will be much tighter than most expect. Garcia is a well-conditioned foe with an ability to avoid contact. He can take the fight longer, but in the end Davis is just too powerful.
Pick: Gervonta Davis / 8th Round KO
