Gervonta "Tank" Davis vs. Ryan Garcia has been one of the most talked about boxing fights of the past few years. At last, it appears the showdown is happening. We have the most in-depth preview of the fighter here, along with our betting prediction on who wins between Davis and Garcia.
It’s not 100 percent official yet (more details on that shortly), but that hasn’t stopped top betting sites for boxing from releasing Davis vs. Garcia odds. As it stands, here are the moneyline odds for each fighter:
Is Davis vs. Garcia Actually Happening?
Yes, it appears Davis and Garcia are indeed fighting come April 15. Both sides verbally agreed to the matchup two months ago. However, no contract has been signed yet. Though, Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, took to Instagram to show the contract was received from Davis’s camp. So it feels like signatures are imminent from both.
Davis is fresh off successfully defending his WBA secondary lightweight title against Hector Luis Garcia on Jan. 7. The Ryan Garcia dream match was contingent on Davis winning, which he did with ease, scoring a nine-round KO victory. The 135-pound title will not be on the line come April, however. The two will clash in a nontitle bout at a maximum weight of 136 pounds.
Neither man has ever tasted defeat in the ring. The 28-year-old Davis is 28-0 with 26 KOs. Garcia is 24 years of age with a pristine 23-0 mark and 19 KOs. The two have called each other out repeatedly in interviews, which has raised the profile of this bout. It’s expected to be on Showtime PPV and take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
One thing to look out for is Davis’ legal issues. He is scheduled to stand trial in mid-February, where he faces 14 charges related to an alleged hit-and-run accident that took place in 2020. If convicted, Davis faces a maximum of 50 months in prison. At the very least, the trial affects Davis’ preparation, right? Welp, we’ll cover that in our matchup preview below.
Davis vs. Garcia Betting Pick To Win
As you saw above Davis is the betting favorite to win — as he should be as a three-time champion in three different weight classes. More than anything else, we’ve seen the southpaw fighter more consistently in the ring over the past few years. Garcia had a 15-month layoff not long ago and to this date, has no real signature wins on his resume (and only one interim title reign).
But that’s not to say Garcia doesn’t have some serious advantage in this bout. Most of all, he towers over Davis — and we mean towers. Garcia is 5-foot-10 with a 70-inch reach. Tank is barely 5-foot-5 and a roach or 67.5 inches. This is not a small difference, it’s massive. Especially with Garcia’s out-of-this-world speed, he has a natural ability to be on the attack for this match.
However, it’s that very fact that worries us about Garcia. That’s because he has very clear flaws in his defensive mechanics. His head movement is slim to none. He also has a tendency to be flat-footed in the ring. Both those problems got Garcia knocked to the canvas against Luke Campbell, arguably the best opponent he’s ever faced.
The thing is, up to this point, Garcia hasn’t faced a high enough caliber opponent (sans Campbell) that could make him pay for those defensive vulnerabilities. Until Davis, that is. Given Davis’ elite power, he’s the last fighter you want to give any chance to land a clean shot.
To us, this feels like the fight that “exposes” Garcia. Expose sounds a bit negative, but the flaws in his in-ring skills really are exploitable by a top-tier fighter, which we firmly believe Davis is. We haven’t even mentioned Garcia’s knack for keeping his chin up — a recipe for disaster against Davis, who has multiple punches that can catch you.
So as you can probably guess, our money is going on Davis here. The timing of his court case is far from ideal, but he has such a better well-rounded ring arsenal than Garcia, who we’d argue is one-dimensional.
How To Bet On Davis vs. Garcia
Davis vs. Garcia bets will be plenty if all things go according to plan. Given the popularity of the two, oddsmakers will offer a bevy of fight odds beyond just the moneyline — that includes over/under on rounds and props. If you want to get all those opportunities, hit one of the bookmakers listed underneath. All of them featured were highly rated in our up-to-date sportsbook review section.
But here’s the real kicker: you could actually bet on Davis vs. Garcia for free — that is, if you take advantage of a sign-up bonus offered at these sites. Rewards of $500 to $2500 in free play are available at certain bookmakers. You can reference the table below to get an idea of what reward is available where.
