WASHINGTON, D.C. – One Garcia down, one to go.
After a slow start, lightweight superstar Gervonta "Tank" Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) relied on his trademark power to force 130-pound titleholder Hector Luis Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs) into submission on Saturday inside Capital One Arena, in the final step before a proposed April showdown with fellow unbeaten Ryan Garcia.
"God willing, I'm ready for the fight," Davis said. "It's scheduled for April and I'm here. On my end, I'm ready. I'll take a week off and I'll be back [in the gym] for sure."
Davis, a native of nearby Baltimore, kept his poise and focus despite a tumultuous training camp that saw the 28-year-old spend a night in prison the week before the fight following a misdemeanor arrest for domestic assault.
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Garcia, a 31-year-old who boxed for his native Dominican Republic at the 2016 Olympics, relied on his technique and length to force the shorter Davis to take his time in the early going. But the action picked up considerably in Round 4 as the pair of southpaws traded big shots at close range.
The action continued until Round 8 when a fight in the first two rows of the crowd caused a bizarre halt to the action as ringside security sorted things out. When the fight restarted, Davis began to walk Garcia down with big left hands and appeared to briefly buckle him before the end of the round.
Garcia, who complained to his corner after the round that he couldn't see, was unable to answer the bell for the start of Round 9, giving Davis the TKO victory to retain his secondary WBA lightweight title.
"I was a little surprised but when I caught him, I knew that he was hurt and that he was hurt bad," Davis said. "He's a fighter and I know he didn't want to show it but he was hurt."
The official time of the stoppage was 13 seconds into Round 9 with Davis ahead 78-73, 78-73 and 78-74 on the judges' scorecards.
"When I got the shots to the head in the final round, I couldn't see anymore," Garcia said.
Despite a game effort from Garcia, who operated within punching range throughout and was willing to trade shots with a bigger puncher, Davis outlanded his foe by a margin of 99 to 55, according to ShoStats. Davis also landed an incredible 53% of his power punches.
"I feel as though I have stuff to work on," Davis said. "I'm a fighter and I'm not retired so my cup is never full. I'm always willing to learn.
"[I struggled] a little bit because I don't fight southpaws that often but it's OK because that's part of the game."
Garcia had enjoyed a breakout 2022, handing the first defeat to Chris Colbert before capturing the WBA 130-pound title over Roger Gutierrez to become a dark horse in the fighter of the year conversation.
After the fight, Davis admitted the only opponent who has the chance to defeat him is himself.
"[I need to] bring my people in close and listen to my close ones and listen to [adviser] Al Haymon and just stay focused," Davis said. "There are a lot of bumps in the road but as long as we stay focused together, that's how I will make longevity in this sport."
The undercard saw Jaron "Boots" Ennis fail to record a knockout for the first time since 2017 as he cruised to victory over Karen Chukhadzhian. Ennis went the distance -- the first time he had been beyond the sixth round -- as he found Chukhadzhian tough to land cleanly on. Plus, Roiman Villa rallied late to stun Rashidi Ellis by majority decision. Villa scored two knockdowns in the final round to give himself the edge on two of the judges' scorecards. And Demetrius Andrade was successful in his debut at super middleweight as he handled Demond Nicholson with ease by decision.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below.
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | TKO | 77 | |||
| Garcia | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 75 |
Garcia repeatedly told his corner "I can't see" in between rounds and the fight is over! Davis does it again, having some rocky moments before scoring the fight-ending shot.
Official result: Gervonta Davis def. Hector Luis Garcia via TKO, Round 8 (3:00)
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 8: Garcia landed a short uppercut and then a good left hand upstairs. Garcia then landed a nice flurry and a fight broke out in the crowd, which led both fighters to stop fighting and the referee to call a time out. After the situation was under control, the fight resumed and Garcia came out strong with a good combination. Garcia ate a big shot from Davis. Davis then landed a straight followed by a jab. Garcia went back downstairs and then Davis landed a big combination with a hard left hand. Garcia returned fire but a Garcia left stunned Garcia badly in the final moments of the round. Garcia managed to get to the end of the round without going down. Huge moment for Davis. Garcia looks out of it in his corner.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 7: Garcia landed some good shots from his lead right hand but then both men started to sit down on their shots and trade power. Garcia has remained committed to working the body, making that a staple of his attack. Davis landed a good right hand and started to charge forward trying to land a fight-changing shot. Garcia landed a jab but Davis kept trying to wing power his way.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 6: Garcia came out with a hook to start the round. Davis landed a good left hand but Garcia continued to eat the power shots well and respond with shots of his own. Garcia landed a nice combination and then went back down to the body. Davis missed with a wild uppercut and tried to walk forward but was shut down by a Garcia jab. Davis landed a good straight left and again Garcia responded with one of his own. Garcia also kept returning to working the body but Davis threw his own hook to the body. Both men sat down on big right hands late as another close round came to an end.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 5: Garcia landed a double jab to start the round. Garcia started to miss with his left hand a lot more often but did land a few. Garcia stood still letting Davis throw a left upstairs but Garcia came back with a body shot. Garcia landed a fw left hands once he moved back into range but Davis continued pushing forward and looking for power shots. Davis landed a good lead right hand to the side of Garcia's head and then a three-punch combo late that may have sealed that round in his favor.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 4: Garcia continued to just pump the jab and keep Davis from really getting inside and letting go with power. Davis landed a nice jab and Garcia landed a hard left hand. Garcia landed to the body and Davis returned fire with two shots before upping his pressure and landing to the body and then landing a good right-hand counter. Davis landed a good left hand and came upstairs with a right hand, putting together his best round so far. Garcia landed a good left hand and Davis came right back with a good left of his own. This is shaping up to be a really interesting fight.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 3: Garcia popped the jab upstairs and to the stomach. Garcia countered with a good left hand as Davis lunged in and then landed the same punch again two more times in the following moments. Both men started to let go with bigger punches, making the third the round where the fight really got going. Garcia continued to find a home for his left hand. Davis landed his own counter left but didn't get it in cleanly and then ate a Garcia jab.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 2: The fighters went right back to the center of the ring and flashed out jabs at one another. Davis dipped down with a jab to the body and Garcia missed with a sweeping lead right. Garcia threw a right to the body that drew a warning for possibly being low. Garcia also started to bright the left hand behind his jab. Davis landed a left hand in the final seconds of the round.
Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia -- Round 1: Garcia took the middle of the ring and poked out with a few jabs, trying to keep Davis outside. Davis, as is standard for him, was not particularly aggressive in the early stages of the fight. A lot of both men standing still and flicking out punches but not much drama at all and not man significant shots thrown by either man.
It's main event time. Gervonta "Tank" Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia in a lightweight clash.
Official result: Jaron Ennis def. Karen Chukhadzhian via unanimous decision (120-108 x3)
Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian -- Round 12: Chukhadzhian actually set his feet momentarily and sat down on a few good punches. That also allowed Ennis to sit down on his own shots and he is clearly the hardest puncher. Chukhadzhian again landed a few good punches as he stopped the constant movement. The fight comes to an end and Ennis has gone 12 rounds for the first time in his career. Not a perfect night for Ennis but there's no doubt he'll get the win on the cards momentarily.
Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian -- Round 11: Chukhadzhian kept his right hand a lot lower, pinning the arm to his body to prevent another body shot from getting in. Chukhadzhian did land some decent punches as Ennis stalked him around the ring. Another round in the books without much action as Chukhadzhian is in survival mode for most of every round at this point.
Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian -- Round 10: Chukhadzhian has dropped most attempts at effective offense, seeming content to move and clinch and drag the fight out and avoid the stoppage. Ennis landed a very hard right hook but it was taken well. Chukhadzhian did throw a four-punch combination but seemed hurt by a shot to the body. Ennis kept going to the body and then cominb back upstairs but couldn't put Chukhadzhian down before the end of the round.
Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian -- Round 9: Ennis came forward and landed a few jabs before trying to land big shots on the inside. Ennis landed a jab and overhand right before another right and an uppercut. Ennis really stepped up the pressure in the round. Chukhadzhian landed a flurry but it seemed to not bother Ennis at all. Ennis landed one more good left hand seconds before the end of the round but it would do a lot for him if he can close the show in the final three rounds.
