Weighty Issues: Davis and Garcia Beat The Scale, Final Fight Night Prediction

UPDATE, 11:30 am PT: At the rehydration weight check Saturday morning, Ryan Garcia weighed in at 144.9 pounds, Gervonta Davis at 144.1 pounds.

In front of a boisterous crowd of fans under the brilliant Las Vegas sun, Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) of Baltimore and “King”Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) of San Diego did their job on Friday. Both made the contracted catchweight of 136 pounds for their 12-round non-title on Saturday, April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena.

Game on, guys.

Ryan Garcia didn't give the appearance of being weight drained. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Garcia had the tougher job as the naturally bigger man but made the weight with ease at 135.5 pounds.

Gervonta Davis was expected to make weight, and despite social media rumors he did. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Davis hit 135 pounds on the nose in his accustomed weight division.

The pair then put on a final war of words to whip up their supporters and perhaps tally a few more pay-per-view buys.

Tensions boil over as @Gervontaa and @RyanGarcia face off for the final time 🔥🔥🔥#DavisGarcia tomorrow on PPV: https://t.co/uwVCxBudCR pic.twitter.com/6MwrbuqIaz

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 21, 2023

All fighters on the card made weight. See photos below.

If you haven’t done so, NY Fights recommends going with PPV.com. Price tag everywhere is $84.99 (although DAZN subscribers get a $20 discount). Start time is 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The undercard opening bell is 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Rehydration Check Remains on Saturday

There remains the hurdle of the rehydration limit for both fighters in the main event. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Both fighters will have one last stop before they make their ringwalks. They must step onto one last scale Saturday morning at 11 a.m. local time and weigh no more than 10 pounds above their official weight Friday. Both the weigh-in on Friday and the rehydration check are several hours later than customary. Call it gamesmanship by the A-side fighter or call it being a weight bully. Davis can demand, but it’s up to Garcia to go along – and he did.

Boxing media and fans have all been reading the tea leaves, especially in the past few days. Will Ryan be weight drained? Did he bite off more than he can chew? Will Tank’s distractions outside the ring cause him to lose focus? Is Ryan too tall and fast to get to?

We’ll know in 24 hours. Until then, all theories and all observations are on the table. But certain facts remain.

Davis and Garcia: Assets and Liabilities

The difference between the two are truly razor thin, leading to intense interest in a non-title fight. Davis is RING Magazine’s number two rated lightweight; Garcia is RING’s number three. Both have received criticism for resumes without blockbuster opponent names. Still, both have taken care of their business, coming into this bout with undefeated records.

Davis’s assets include solid power and an ever-increasing ring IQ.

Garcia’s assets reside in his hand speed and willingness to be aggressive.

Both fighters are confident. Both teams are confident, shown in the war of words at Thursday’s presser between Leonard Ellerbe and Oscar De La Hoya.

Both fighters are trained by skilled, experienced trainers in Calvin Ford for Davis, and Joe Goosen for Garcia. Both offered sincere, full-throated endorsements of their athletes at the final news conference.

Both fighters have passionate supporters who firmly believe their man will win.

All of this makes for a fight in which no one cares about belts or championships. This is the battle for the new generation. It’s a fight whose outcome can plant the seeds of enthusiasm turning Gen Z casual fans into serious boxing fans. An exciting, action-packed fight or even a controversial decision will deliver the goods.

Davis, a notoriously slow starter, isn’t going to rush across the ring at Garcia at the opening bell. Garcia isn’t foolhardy enough to do the same. He would be wise to use his greatest advantage – his reach – to make the entire 12 rounds a contest at a distance.

Neither man can make a mistake in 36 minutes in the ring, and this is where the tension and excitement lie. It’s not in a brawl, but in a snake and a mongoose looking at each other, finding and exploiting a moment of weakness. Who will flinch first? Who will lose focus first?

Will a more cautious, tactical fight fire up the future fans as much? It may not. Don’t be surprised if the level of action in this fight isn’t a modern Hagler vs Hearns, which has been cited in the lead-up to the fight. Both Davis and Garcia respect each other’s skills and power enough for them to be cautious.

Like these partisan fans, we're picked Ryan Garcia to win on Saturday – but it may not be a barnburner. Photo: Golden Boy Boxing

Final Falkentalk: Oddsmakers have Davis as the favorite. His performances have earned him this recognition. But the narrative of this fight may not go the way many of Tank’s fights have played out before. A tactical fight favors Garcia. Garcia also has the advantage of having been knocked down and buzzed in his fight with Luke Campbell, then gathering himself to come back and win by knockout. This experience is invaluable to a fighter.

We also put a priority on speed. Speed kills in boxing. Garcia has the edge in speed. This is why in our NY Fights prediction picks, I went with Garcia by decision.

But we’ll leave you with this: A draw is +1600. Don’t be the mortgage, but consider betting the cost of a nice meal.

Undercard Weigh-In Results

Morrell vs. Falcao, Super Middleweight

In the co-main, David Morrell (left) weighed 167.75, Yamaguchi Falcao weighed 167 for their super middleweight bout. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Melikuziev vs Rosado II, Super Middleweight

Both Gabe Rosado (left) and Bektimir Melikuziev weighed in at 167.25 for their rematch on the Davis and Garcia undercard. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Garcia vs. Salgado, Lightweight

In their middleweight matchup, Elijah Garcia (left) and Kevin Salgado both weighed in at 159.25 pounds. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions