2 rising stars are building extraordinary interest in a fight that could become one of boxing's biggest-selling bouts of the year
- Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia are building extraordinary interest in a fight that could become one of boxing's biggest attractions in 2021.
- Both athletes have intense followings as Davis is represented by Floyd Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions, is a bona fide ticket-seller, and attracts NBA greats and rappers to his events.
- Garcia is backed by Oscar de la Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, and has built a substantial following on social media platforms Tik Tok, YouTube, and Instagram.
- Davis and Garcia would be right up there with the biggest and most lucrative bouts in boxing, alongside Terence Crawford versus Errol Spence Jr. and Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua.
Two of America's young boxing stars are building immense interest in a fight that would likely become one of the sport's biggest-selling bouts of 2021.
Gervonta Davis, a 26-year-old from Baltimore, and Ryan Garcia, a 22-year-old Californian, waged war on Twitter last year, and have maintained that animosity in 2021.
In a recent FightHubTV video, shot inside Mike Tyson's podcast studio, Garcia can be seen and heard trash-talking with "Tank" Davis during a FaceTime call between the pair.
In the video, Tyson struggles to contain his glee and even appears to be encouraging Garcia to badmouth Davis.
In the clip, which you can watch below, Garcia mocks his rival's height, weight, and appearance.
"Boy, you're too ugly [to fight] the champ," he says.
He then stands up to display his tuxedo and channeled Muhammad Ali to say: "Boy, I'm pretty. You ain't seen nothing like me - I promise you."
Garcia also posted a version of the video on his Twitter page.
Davis can be heard more clearly in Garcia's video, as he ridicules the youngster for suffering a recent knockdown in his statement win over Luke Campbell earlier this month.
Laughing, Davis says: "Mike! He got dropped by somebody that can't even hit … if I would've hit him, you know I would've killed him after that."
Davis also vowed to fight Garcia as his next bout.
Davis vs. Garcia is one of the hottest fights boxing can offer
Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, and Davis against Garcia are three of the biggest bouts boxing can produce.
Spence and Crawford do not appear close to fighting each other in the current climate, though, and while it would bring together two of the very best athletes in the sport, it may not transcend into the common sports fan's consciousness.
Joshua and Fury will sell well in the UK, but may not get as much traction in the US as Davis and Garcia - two young American superstars who have extraordinary fanbases already.
Davis is a cross-state ticket-seller and has fought in front of near-capacity crowds in Baltimore and Atlanta. "Tank" is a transcendent boxing star already, attracting celebrities like NBA great Shaquille O'Neal and the rapper T.I to ringside seats at his events.
Likewise, Garcia has his own built-in fanbase thanks to an extraordinary social media following on Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Garcia, a Gen-Z superstar backed by Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar de la Hoya, recently told Insider that he is desperate to fight Davis. "I won't be in the sport long and I just want to make the biggest statements straight away against these deadly fighters," he told us.
Davis is represented by Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who told Insider in 2020 that Garcia is one of many fights the company wants to make for its marquee client.
"The more active the fighters are, continuing to go out there building their brands, keeping on winning … eventually these fights happen," Ellerbe told us.
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