Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia with a brutal body shot in the seventh round to win their highly anticipated Las Vegas bout by TKO.
After years of verbal and social media sparring, the undefeated lightweights finally got in the ring at a catchweight with no belts on the line, but it was still the focus of the boxing world.
The taller and younger Garcia started stronger, using his length on the job to keep the stockier, more powerful Davis at bay in the first round and starting the second well too.
But Davis took advantage of Garcia's aggression and put the 24-year-old on his backside with a trademark left hand halfway through the second frame.
He took control in the next few rounds, and Garcia seemed to have got a foot back in the fight in the sixth, only for Davis to catch him with a left to the body in the seventh.
It looked like Garcia would go on, but after a few wobbly seconds he took a knee and did not get back up before referee Thomas Taylor's 10 count.
Watching the replay in the ring, Davis said he did not think the shot was going to stop Garcia, but Garcia said he was struggling to breathe.
"I thought he was gonna get up," Davis said.
"When he was looking at me [while on his knee] I was looking at him like 'get up' and he just shook his head, 'no'.
"I'm definitely the face of boxing. Abso-f***ing-lutely."
Davis is now 29-0 in his professional career and Garcia is 23-1.
Look back at how the fight unfolded in our live blog below.
Key events
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Live updates
Like Tank Davis, will end things now
By Jon Healy
That will do it for me today. I'm going to say farewell and see you next time.
Until then, follow the advice of Manny Pacquiao and stay humble.
Davis didn't even realise his shot was a fight-ender
By Jon Healy
Watching the replay, Davis says he wasn't expecting that left-hand body shot would stop Garcia.
"I seen his face and that's what made me take it to him.
"I thought he was gonna get up.
"When he was looking at me [while on his knee] I was looking at him like 'get up' and he just shook his head, 'no'.
"I'm definitely the face of boxing. Abso-f***ing-lutely."
Tank Davis stops Ryan Garcia in the seventh round!
By Jon Healy
There were a couple of shots exchanged, but Gervonta Davis landed a brutal left hand to the body; so quick you could barely see it.
Garcia stayed up for a few seconds but eventually had to take a knee and just couldn't get back up. So much power from Tank.
Liver shots are the most painful in boxing, but that one even on replay barely looked like much. I guess the timing and targeting must have just been perfect to stop him and hand Garcia his first loss in his 24th fight.
Seventh round: Down goes Garcia
By Jon Healy
Garcia backs Davis into the corner and comes in with the right hook. Davis answers back with that left lead.
Davis catches him with a left hook, and Garcia has to take a knee!
It's over!!
Sixth round: Garcia strikes back
By Jon Healy
Garcia lands a couple of big right-hand leads to get back on the front foot, although he's still not controlling the ring like he was for the first two-and-a-half rounds.
Close round that one. Garcia looked better and landed some shots, but Davis hit him on the counter once or twice.
Split round I'd say, but Garcia could have it on some scorecards.
Fifth round: Davis stacking up the winning rounds
By Jon Healy
Davis is threatening with that left hand every time Garcia tries to come forward. Garcia is forced to shell up as Davis starts a flurry with a right-hand body shot.
He's economical and looks in total control.
Fourth round: Davis dominant
By Jon Healy
Both fighters going to the body early in this round.
Davis looks more active. Garcia slowed physically and mentally by that knockdown.
Davis is dancing out there and creating angles to unload with that left hand a few times.
Third round: Has Garcia learned his lesson?
By Jon Healy
He will be cautious about coming forward now.
Davis is throwing left-hand leads through the guard of Garcia now.
More cautious round from Garcia, although he did throw a right-hand lead for the first time.
Second round: Garcia goes on the attack, but Davis gets first knockdown
By Jon Healy
A couple of major flurries from Garcia gets Tank on the back foot and forces the smaller man into a few clinches.
Davis lunges at Garcia to hug him. Referee Thomas Taylor has a word.
Garcia is landing punches in these clinches, and Davis wearing a few.
KNOCKDOWN!
Garcia overcommitted after getting on the front foot and ran right into a left hook from Davis, putting him on his backside.
Garcia hops straight back up, but that was massive, turning a lost round into a big win for Davis.
First round: Davis vs Garcia
By Jon Healy
They touch gloves and meet in the middle. Garcia using his length on the jab to establish distance.
Davis barely threw anything in that first round. Very few, if any, power punches thrown.
Garcia is warned to be aware that Davis knows he didn't score points in that first round, so he'll be coming forward more as the fight goes on.
Let's get ready to rumble
By Jon Healy
The introductions are done and the fighters have been given their instructions.
Ryan Garcia is in black trunks. He weighed in at 135.5 pounds, but weighed 145 earlier today as part of a 10-pound rehydration clause.
Tank Davis is wearing green trunks, with Floyd Mayweather Jr alongside him in the ring.
Fighters are walking to the ring
By Jon Healy
How long until the ring walk do think Jon?
- Jarrod
Ryan Garcia first.
Bigger cheer for Tank, led to the ring by rapper Chief Keef.
What's it like to be the focus of the sporting world?
By Jon Healy
Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard says what it feels like to be involved in a superfight.
"I just felt prepared, ready. There's nothing like being in that ring and winning," he says.
Manny Pacquiao tells them to "stay humble".
And with neither boxer having tasted defeat, both have some advice for how to cope with loss.
"It's mental, psychological, spiritual," Leonard says.
"It's not the end. Fight back, think about why you lost. Recover and work hard," Pacquiao says.
Leonard is on the fence, but Pacquiao is backing Garcia.
First-round knockout ends the undercard!
By Jon Healy
David Morrell Jr has flattened Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round. He knocked him down once, then stalked him down and sent him to the canvas in brutal fashion.
Terrifying power in the right hook.
Hopefully Falcao is OK, because he's barely moved.
He took this fight on just 10 days' notice.
Bek the Bully hits back against Gabe Rosado
By Jon Healy
Gabe Rosado, who you might remember as Leo 'The Lion' Sporino in Creed, flattened Bektemir Melikusiev with a right hand with the knockout of the year in 2021, handing the Uzbek his first professional loss.
But this time Bek the Bully has flipped the script in their super middleweight fight, going the distance against the American to win the unanimous decision and avenge his loss.
One more fight on the undercard before the main event.
We've got another super middleweight bout with David Morrell Jr a heavy favourite against Yamaguchi Falcao.
What have Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia said about each other?
By Jon Healy
Gervonta Davis, 28 was already fighting professionally for three years before Ryan Garcia, 24, got in the ring for his first pro bout.
As such, Garcia was always chasing Davis, calling out the more established fighter at every opportunity, even when a fight was not likely to materialise.
Initially Davis brushed off the challenges, saying he didn't want to fight Garcia because he wanted to let him mature.
Now matured and with a formidable pro record to his name, the verbal gloves are off, before the physical gloves go on.
"He a Instagram fighter. We don't worry about him," Davis said of Garcia.
"You get ready hoe," Garcia warned Tank.
In the pre-fight press conferences, they've both threatened to break each others' jaws, while Davis even threatened Garcia's brother.
And with Floyd Mayweather Jr in the Davis corner, and Oscar De La Hoya backing Garcia as part of his Golden Boy promotion company, there are names and faces all over this bout.
Why is this fight at a catchweight instead of lightweight?
By Jon Healy
Hi Jon, why is this fight at a catchweight just over the lightweight limits if both fighters are normally lightweights? Shouldn't they be fighting for Tank's belt instead?
- George
This fight is at a catchweight of 136 pounds instead of 135, which is the upper limit for a lightweight.
Basically, Garcia has been battling to make weight at lightweight for a couple of fights. Bearing in mind he started pro boxing a few years ago as a teenager, he's bulked up a lot since then and is relatively tall. Realistically, he's probably going to have be a super lightweight going forward.
Davis didn't want to go all the way up to 140 pounds (super lightweight), so they agreed to a catchweight just above the upper lightweight limit.
What time does Davis vs Garcia start?
By Jon Healy
Hey Jon, What time is the main event predicted to start around?
- Narelle
The fighters are expected to walk out for the main event at about 12:30pm AEST.
What to expect
By Jon Healy
As with most lightweights, both these fighters have lightning-fast hands and feet
Both of them have knockout power, as evidenced by their combined 45 KOs from 51 fights, but Davis is definitely the more powerful of the two.
His left hand hits like a truck, or indeed a tank, and he strikes with devastating accuracy even when his opponents know what's coming.
His hook and uppercut are particular weapons that he lines up and fires with brutal efficiency.
Garcia, meanwhile, has proven his worth in the ring in his 23 professional fights.
After garnering fame and infamy on social media with his rapid hands, he showed he's tough as they come when he was knocked down by Luke Campbell's left hook three fights ago. He came back to knock him out five rounds later, but many pointed out if that had been Davis's left, Garcia would have been finished.
With his baby face and perfectly coiffed hair, he still has a reputation with some as a pretty boy who's a class below the beast that is Tank Davis, but now he has a chance to prove everyone wrong.
Tale of the tape
By Jon Healy
Both these fighters have a zero in their loss column and 20-plus wins under their belt.
Gervonta Davis is 28-0 with a ridiculous 26 knockouts, while Ryan Garcia is 23-0 with 19 knockouts.
At 5'10" (178cm) Garcia towers over Davis, who is only 5'5" (166cm). That translates to a 7cm reach advantage for Garcia.
Davis is currently the WBA world lightweight champion, but this fight isn't for any belts, being fought at a catchweight between lightweight and super lightweight.
