Gervonta Davis became face of boxing by shutting down Ryan Garcia's liver after shooting to fame on Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather's £130m card

12/06/2024 19:31

Gervonta Davis has become the self-declared face of boxing, having already lit up the biggest of stages.

Davis has become a huge pay-per-view boxing star, having turned professional under the watching eye of sporting legend Floyd Mayweather in February 2013.

His journey since has been a complete rollercoaster, but he has landed as one of the biggest names in the sport, and arguably the face of boxing in the US.

Tank’s most famous win came against bitter rival Ryan Garcia in April 2023 in one of the most watched fights in recent years, which eclipsed his previous achievements.

Prior to now, Davis put together a sensational 16-fight win streak before landing his maiden title shot, when he stopped Jose Pedraza to earn the IBF super-featherweight title in January 2017.

But it was later that year where he lit up the ring on one of the biggest platforms possible, on the undercard of mentor Mayweather’s famous showdown with Conor McGregor.

It was by no means an easy night for Davis, who had missed weight for the clash, thus surrendering his IBF title on the scales.

And his fight night wasn’t simple either as he struggled to break down resilient rival Franscisco Fonseca.

But in the eighth stanza, Davis unloaded a trademark crisp barrage which saw him close the show as the referee halted the contest.

Davis was far from vintage, and his team explained that he wasn’t at 100 per cent on the night.

Despite the display, it was enough to send his name into the stratosphere given the magnitude of the £130 million event he found himself on.

Mayweather followed in the footsteps of his apprentice, breaking down his Irish rival in his final fight before retirement.

The fight was witnessed by 4.3 million pay-per-view units sold, placing it only behind Money’s showdown with Manny Pacquiao in May 2015, which sold nearly 5 million.

Davis went on to capture the WBA belt in both the super-featherweight and lightweight divisions as he reached 28 victories with some highlight-reel KOs.

It was of widespread view that the champion was one of the most entertaining fighters of the current crop, and his rise did not grind to a halt.

His brash-talking antics and Mayweather’s PR machine saw him become a star and Davis was being called out by some of the sport’s biggest names including Garcia.

After months of social media talk and verbal insults the fight was made in what appeared to be a huge crossroads moment in both star’s careers.

The fight had unprecedented interest, and it delivered with Davis and Garcia finally doing battle.

Both fighters knew they needed to deliver under the brightest of lights, and despite splitting with Mayweather a year before, Davis did exactly that.

The 135lbs star did what he does best, and delivered a thumping body shot which clattered into the liver of his grudge rival.

Garcia simply could not get air to his lungs and collapsed to his knees, trying to recover as the referee gave his ten count.

But ultimately, proceedings were stopped and it was a career-best and seismic win for Davis’ boxing career.

After the fight, which had been seen by millions of fans around the world, Davis took to the microphone and delivered a bold statement.

He said: "Everything about this was exciting. I was excited to be a part of this event. I remember coming up in the Golden Gloves and seeing Floyd (Mayweather) fight at the MGM.

"The reality definitely matches the dream. But the job is never done until I retire so I'm going to keep my head down, stay humble and continue to work.

“Me predicting the seventh round KO was me just trying to get in his head.

"I'm definitely the face of boxing. Abso- f******-lutely!"

And it was hard to argue with his claim, as the sold-out arena and audience figures suggested.

Of course the clamour continues for the heavyweight division, and the boom of boxing in Saudi Arabia.

But it is an exciting future in store for Davis who will next take on Frank Martin.

Some huge showdowns with big names remain for including against Devin Haney, Vasyl Lomachenko and a sequel with ‘King Ry’.

But his reputation continues to grow, and he will hope he can even match half of the achievements financially and professionally as ‘Money’ Mayweather.