Gervonta Davis vs Héctor Luis García: preview and prediction
‘Tank’ will defend his WBA lightweight belt against Dominican undefeated García, who seeks to start 2023 with an upset for the ages.
The New Year will bring boxing fans the first big show of the year, featuring one of the biggest stars in the sport, the Baltimore native Gervonta Davis.
Tank will go into the ring after a technical knockout win over Rolando Romero in the sixth round, although Davis’ toughest fight to date was against Isaac Cruz.
Against Pit Bull, Davis had to dig deep to get a unanimous decision victory. He proved in that fight that he’s way more than a power puncher, as he used his reflexes, footwork, and jabs to emerge victorious against the intensity and power that the Mexican brought into the fight.
García: looking for the win of a lifetime
Meanwhile, massive underdog Héctor Luis García will have the chance of making history in boxing when he faces Davis at the Capital One Arena.
El Androide, who has won 10 of his 16 wins via knockout, upset Chris Colbert in February last time out and will be looking to record another great performance here.
He’s one of the greatest Caribbean hopes in boxing today together with Cuban fighter Yordenis Ugás, although the Olympian medalist was defeated by Errol Spence Jr. last April.
Davis vs García: prediction
Can the Dominican warrior come out on top against Gervonta Davis? In a sport like boxing, everything is possible, but García, ranked as the second-best active super featherweight by The Ring Magazine, will need to make the perfect fight to get his hand raised.
In February, Garcia, a late replacement against super featherweight contender Colbert (16-1), was supposed to be a stepping stone for the American, who was closing in on a title shot.
However, García knocked down Colbert for the first time in his career to end up winning the contest. This time, he has had a complete training camp and together with his staff has been able to analyze his opponent.
As for Davis, he delivered a spectacular knockout against Rolly Romero in his last fight, proving his killer instinct is intact. Romero seemed to be getting the better of ‘Tank’, but a measured counterpunch was all that Davis needed to close the show.
The 28-year-old southpaw is aware of García’s danger and durability so he might play it safe and find the balance between some power punching and controlling the distance to earn the judges’ decision.
Can Gervonta implement a Plan B if he can’t knock out his opponent? The answer is Yes. The American has all the tools to dictate the pace he needs depending on the kind of fight he is involved in and ultimately get the win that will give him access to a megafight against Ryan García in April.
Prediction: Gervonta Davis via unanimous decision