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 Sometimes in boxing we get a fight between two undefeated fighters. Sometimes we get a fight between two young stars on the rise, with superstardom on the line. Sometimes we get a fight between two guys that genuinely dislike each other, and whose mutual dislike heats up their confrontation past the boiling point. But how often in boxing do we get all three at once? Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KO) and “King” Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KO) are on the surface about as different a pair of guys as you’ll find in boxing. However, a closer look reveals that these two have a great deal in common. Gervonta Davis grew up in inner-city Baltimore and passed up a high school education to focus on his boxing career; likewise, Ryan Garcia exited his Victorville, CA high school early in pursuit of amateur glory. Davis turned professional under the mentorship and guidance of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, while Garcia found his own legendary role model in the Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya. Both men were seasoned amateurs, each amassing over 200 wins against only fifteen losses before turning pro. Neither man has since lost a match, and rarely has either needed the help of the judges to determine their victories. They are young, sensational athletes in the prime of their careers, who on their own are already sellout attractions. Naturally, they can’t stand each other.  Similar questions surround their careers, too. In every young star boxer’s career there comes a moment where the prodigious hype behind their name gets poked, prodded, and possibly popped. That moment arguably has not arrived yet for either fighter. Gervonta Davis has laid claim to world titles across three weight classes, an impressive feat if you don’t look too closely at said titles or who he won them from. For that matter, don’t strain your eyes looking for top 5 ranked competition on his record, either. Davis has been largely content to defend his world titles against the B-level of his weight classes, away from the bigger, tougher, and arguably more accomplished fighters that hold the rest of the belts. To be fair, it’s worked out well for him so far. Following in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather, “Tank” Davis has established himself as a pay-per-view attraction whose fans will pay to see fight anybody. For Ryan Garcia the most pressing questions to be answered are mental. Garcia’s boxing celebrity has as much to do with his sizable Instagram following as anything he’s accomplished in the ring; Ryan’s face arguably sells more tickets than his fists do. There’s no doubt he has substantial boxing talent, but talent is not what got him the spotlight he has. Consequently fans have questioned Garcia’s seriousness toward the professional fight game, with many considering him more of a pretty-boy than a prizefighter. That hasn’t been helped by Garcia’s long periods of inactivity related to self-admitted mental health issues, along with a few fight postponements due to injuries. When he does get in the ring, he sizzles with fast hands and powerful punches, but at times he has appeared vulnerable in the ring, and it’s clear that much of his talent is still very raw.  My feeling is both of these guys are blown up a bit too far beyond the amount of air split between them. Tank is perhaps a top ten pound for pound fighter who could inherit the PPV throne Floyd Mayweather prepared for him; King Ry is perhaps the next big Mexican-American sensation ready to take the mantle left behind by Oscar de la Hoya. But probably both aren’t true at once. There’s enough hype between the two of them to maybe sustain one superstar fighter. The pond just isn’t big enough for these two bloated fishes. Both men intend to feast on the tattered stardom of their destroyed rival, but which man has bitten off more than he can chew? The sportsbook consensus seems to think it’s Ryan Garcia, who at 24 years old is younger, less experienced at the world level, and still developing in the skills department. King Ry has gradually upped his degree of challenge with each fight, and stands today as a credible challenger, albeit the underdog. But it’s undeniable that Garcia is taking the biggest leap of his career in challenging Davis, who is universally regarded as one of the top fighters in a weight class full of the sport’s best talents. For the first time in Ryan’s career he enters a match as the opponent, the challenger. Such a change in dynamics can throw cocky young fighters off their game. Garcia’s no defensive master, and Luke Campbell showed the world he can be hit and even dropped. To his credit the young star got up, continued fighting and closed that one out with his own stoppage, but he may not have gotten that second chance if he’d been hit by the hard hands of Tank Davis that night instead. Ryan will need to keep focus and disciplined and avoid letting the big occasion play on his nerves, or else risk getting embarrassed early.  Davis is well practiced at avoiding embarrassments in the ring, typically by fighting men with little chance of embarrassing him. Having spent his last five or so cards headlining PPV events in-house against fellow Mayweather and PBC associated boxers, Tank may have even grown a little too accustomed to the preferential treatment he gets as a major promotional draw. Matches against Romero, Cruz, Barrios and Santa Cruz were perhaps more competitive and exciting than they appeared on paper, but these were also all fights Davis was universally expected to handle with ease. It could be that Davis’ relatively unknown opponents were underrated by the boxing public before taking him on, or that Tank’s success has set the bar of expectations too high for anyone to realistically meet. Nevertheless when a fighter as protected as Davis is struggling in matchups hand-picked for him to win, it raises questions about how he might fare against threats that are outside his promoter’s sphere of control. Then again, based on his previous opponent selections it’s possible Gervonta sees this match as just another showcase opportunity against an outmatched opponent.  Gervonta Davis will likely enter the ring with every advantage in his favor but size. He’s fast, powerful, sharp from midrange and savvier than expected defensively, though he has proven to be hittable. But he’s also four inches shorter and has three less inches of reach than his opponent, who will likely also enjoy a weight advantage on the night of the fight (mitigated somewhat by a rehydration limit clause). Tank’s T-rex like arms pack a deceptively powerful punch, but getting them to Garcia won’t be easy, and it’ll probably require Davis to take an aggressive, pressuring approach. Davis is a good attacker to the body and a good counterpuncher in exchanges, and as the presumably more powerful fighter it may benefit him to draw Garcia into a firefight. King Ry would do well to try and keep the fight at midrange behind a long jab, keeping Davis off by punching first and punching often before the other man can get in range and set up to attack. It’s possible that Garcia can find an edge in boxing on the outside and potshotting for points, but I feel he’ll be better served trying to stay in the middle distance, close enough to Davis where he can attempt his own devastating shots, The danger here is that Ryan likes to fight and has shown he can get caught up in the other guy’s fight, and typically guys who fight Davis’ fight wind up with early bedtimes. There’s a thin line that Garcia will need to walk between keeping himself safe from Davis’ power and earning the respect of Davis with his own power. It may turn out that going guns for guns with Tank is his best way of winning the fight after all, and Ryan is certainly confident enough in himself to carry that out if required. Whether he can hang with Tank or not will be a big determinant in the fight’s outcome.  Both guys have a lot to lose in this fight, and I expect the opening of the match will reflect this, with both guys moving minimally, attempting a punch or two from distance, perhaps leaping in with the occasional short combo. Tank will probably settle into a measured, unhurried forward advance, putting pressure on Garcia without overcommitting and simply seeing how the other fighter reacts. My guess is that Garcia will be moving a lot and may look somewhat nervous early while he figures out exactly what Tank can do to him. That probably won’t last going into the middle rounds as Tank begins to close the distance, and as the fight heats up I think Ryan’s own instincts to mix it up will begin to take over. I don’t expect either guy to show much of a reaction to the other’s punches, but at some point during the fight one of them will connect with a shot that sends the other to the canvas and changes the whole fight dynamic. It’ll then be up to that fighter to recognize the blood in the water and finish his opponent. My feeling is that the fighter in that position will be Tank Davis and that he will probably find a finish against an overeager Garcia, but if I’m wrong and Garcia’s chin holds up it’ll probably be a tough night for Davis on the scorecards. My prediction: Gervonta Davis KO 8 
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Apr 22, 2023 23:56
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Let’s go king RY
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Apr 23, 2023 00:00
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drat man good op. i respect both men for taking this fight, and i hope their payday is such that it convinces other boxers to follow suit. zero belts on the line, all the hype. let's go.
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Apr 23, 2023 00:27
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We are so back
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Apr 23, 2023 01:15
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I have not been this excited for a fight since GGG-Canelo 1.
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Apr 23, 2023 01:16
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I was thinking we were gonna see this Elijah dude get prospect busted but he’s done really well to weather the storm and pick Selgado apart
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Apr 23, 2023 01:55
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this really is a pick 'em fight. glad it's happening. i don't have a guy i favor but i will say this is where ryan garcia either becomes amir khan or overcomes that speedster chin check
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Apr 23, 2023 02:06
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Anybody know who the ref for the main event
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Apr 23, 2023 02:18
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Jump King posted:Anybody know who the ref for the main event Thomas Taylor. He's based in Cali and often does big fights but Jack Reiss seems to get dibs on the main events that happen in California Some of the recent big fights Taylor has done include GRJ Jr. - Mark Magsayo, Andy Ruiz - Luis Ortiz and both Tank - Issac Cruz and Tank - Mario Barrios. https://boxrec.com/en/referee/539432?offset=100 EDIT: Judges are Tim Cheatem, Dave Morretti and Steve Weisfeld. Pretty standard big fight in Vegas or LA officials EDIT 2 : Jump King posted:Bek pretty cagey so far Yeah. Doesn't seem like he's gotten past that knockout from last fight yet. The SituAsian fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Apr 23, 2023 |
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Apr 23, 2023 02:22
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Bek pretty cagey so far
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Apr 23, 2023 02:26
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I bought the PPV on DAZN and not only did they overcharge me by $15 as well as bill me immediately, the loving PPV stream isn’t working on the app lol. Apparently lots of people are having this issue. Cancelling DAZN I guess. Thank god for alternative viewing options, which I guess I will be sticking with going forward.
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Apr 23, 2023 02:29
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I read somewhere that DAZN is showing the fight in 720p while showtime is in 1080
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Apr 23, 2023 02:33
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blue footed boobie posted:I read somewhere that DAZN is showing the fight in 720p while showtime is in 1080 Maybe, but also the DAZN PPV is $25 cheaper than Showtime (for those who have current accounts DAZN at least)
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Apr 23, 2023 02:35
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That's an excellent loving writeup, Ninth Layer. Thank you. I passively dislike Gervonta so I will keep my fingers crossed.
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Apr 23, 2023 02:35
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So uh, I don't know poo poo about boxing but are boxing prelims still bullshit? I'm just looking at the on-screen records of the dudes fighting, and hearing the crowd boo, if I don't normally watch that much boxing should I just go do something better with my time and wait for the actual main event?
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Apr 23, 2023 02:36
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Brut posted:So uh, I don't know poo poo about boxing but are boxing prelims still bullshit? I'm just looking at the on-screen records of the dudes fighting, and hearing the crowd boo, if I don't normally watch that much boxing should I just go do something better with my time and wait for the actual main event? Ehhhhhhhh… it’s not always terrible but this undercard isn’t great. The next fight has a really good fighter in Dave Morrell Jr, but his opponent is a late replacement so it’s more about whether you want to see a good fighter than a good fight
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Apr 23, 2023 02:39
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The SituAsian posted:Maybe, but also the DAZN PPV is $25 cheaper than Showtime (for those who have current accounts DAZN at least) It’s also free on widely known websites that we can’t discuss
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Apr 23, 2023 02:39
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blue footed boobie posted:It’s also free on widely known websites that we can’t discuss Some of us actually want to reward the sport when it makes a good matchup across political lines  My message to everyone in this thread: "you do you, boo-boo"
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Apr 23, 2023 02:45
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Having known nothing about this fight except the OP I have decided the pretty boy should win and be the best against the other guy. He'll yeah for openly addressing mental health struggles.
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Apr 23, 2023 02:53
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Yamaguchi and Esquiva Falcão are my favorite Latin/South American boxing brothers since McWilliams and McJoe Arroyo.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:16
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S geddit
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Apr 23, 2023 03:18
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I hope this is a quick KO, I am ready for the main event to start.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:19
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Lid posted:He'll yeah for openly addressing mental health struggles. frfr. i like garcia. he seems like someone my ma would call a nice boy. gervonta on the other hand apparently also learned relationship conflict resolution strategies from his mentor floyd mayweather. so i'm team king ry
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Apr 23, 2023 03:21
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watching the undercard and there's a guy named yamaguchi falcao hideo kojima rear end name
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Apr 23, 2023 03:24
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Uh wow
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Apr 23, 2023 03:26
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complete mismatch. falcao was extremely out.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:27
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Fozzy The Bear posted:I hope this is a quick KO, I am ready for the main event to start.  thank you
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Apr 23, 2023 03:27
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blue footed boobie posted:Uh wow Getting David Benavidez - J'leon Love and Vergil Ortiz - Mauricio Herrea vibes from that Morrell performance. Absolute domination on a big fight co-main; going to be great for him.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:28
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surprised falcao even got a standing 8 before the stoppage
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Apr 23, 2023 03:28
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I was thinking all day about what bet I want to make and I think I'm just gonna go with the under lol.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:30
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Benavidez vs Morrell plz.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:32
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The Ninth Layer posted:I was thinking all day about what bet I want to make and I think I'm just gonna go with the under lol. Both of them have been so protected that it’s really hard to see who’s going to win, obviously Gervonta looks better, but who knows
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Apr 23, 2023 03:33
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Yeeesh that was a KO
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Apr 23, 2023 03:34
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Cigar Aficionado posted:Benavidez vs Morrell plz. Still want to see Morrell against a top-7 (or so) caliber at 168 but if the fight needs to be made now or way later I am fine with it now
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Apr 23, 2023 03:34
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Dejan Bimble posted:Both of them have been so protected that it’s really hard to see who’s going to win, obviously Gervonta looks better, but who knows Yeah I think it's pretty close to an even odds fight (and has been getting closer there) and I don't have strong opinions on who will win, but I have a feeling this one will heat up quickly.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:35
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Fozzy The Bear posted:I hope this is a quick KO, I am ready for the main event to start. This isn’t how it works btw, you will still have to wait
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Apr 23, 2023 03:35
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he called out benavidez, the first step in a twenty step process to them fighting in 2030
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Apr 23, 2023 03:37
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I’m so hype for this fight
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Apr 23, 2023 03:40
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Roughly how long until round 1 starts? like 15 minutes or like an hour?
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Apr 23, 2023 03:43
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Probably a half hour. They're going to do a national anthem and probably some lengthy ring walls.
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Apr 23, 2023 03:43
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