Gervonta Davis stops Ryan Garcia with 7th-round body-shot KO
Gervonta Davis scored a seventh-round knockout victory over Ryan Garcia thanks to a body shot in their highly anticipated catchweight fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia dropped to one knee shortly after taking the blow and was unable to beat the count. Davis was ahead on all three official scorecards, 58-56, 59-56, and 59-55, at the time of the KO.
The face of boxing @Gervontaa stops Garcia in round 7 with a VICIOUS body shot 😱 #DavisGarcia pic.twitter.com/8MRrWvBOOQ
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 23, 2023
"I'm not gonna say nothing. But yeah, I couldn't breathe. ... I just couldn't get up," Garcia told Showtime's Jim Gray postfight about the fateful blow.
It's Garcia's first career loss in 24 professional fights.
Garcia was also sent to the canvas in the second round by one of Davis' trademark left hooks.
.@Gervontaa DROPS Ryan in Round 2 😱 #DavisGarcia pic.twitter.com/8Pj5Czovqs
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 23, 2023
"I think I should have pressured him a little harder near the ropes," Garcia said about the first knockdown. "I was giving him a little too much respect. I think that was my downfall. I think I gave him a little too much respect in the ring."
Davis, meanwhile, upped his record to 29-0 in what was his first headlining fight in Las Vegas. This was his 27th win via knockout.
The Baltimore native had predicted he'd score a seventh-round KO of Garcia in the lead-up to Saturday's fight.
"I'm definitely the face of boxing," Davis proclaimed postfight.