Boxing superstar and five-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis delighted a ticketing crowd in his hometown of the country’s capital with another memorable victory as he showcased his skills and then beat featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia in the ninth round on Saturday night. SHOWTIME PPV from Capital One Arena in Washington, DC during an event presented by Top Boxing Champion.
Baltimore-born Davis delighted the 19,731 fans in attendance when he methodically knocked out the previously undefeated Garcia, before fatally wounding him with his bragged left hand late in round 1/ 8. Apparently shaken as he returned to the corner, Garcia was still sitting on a stool when the bell rang for the ninth half. Moments later, his coach Bob Santos advised referee Albert Earl Brown to stop the game, with an official stoppage time of 13 seconds in the ninth round.
Davis said: “I was a bit surprised he didn’t come out. “But I know he’s badly injured but he’s a fighter and he doesn’t want to show it. I know he’s hurt though.
Garcia, who owns the WBA Super Featherweight belt, said: “When I got hit in the head in the final round, that was when I couldn’t see with the naked eye. “I didn’t know where I was when he hit me with that shot. My vision is back but my head still hurts. I can’t see from my right eye. It was going well up to that point. I’m selecting my photo.
The two champions battled for spot in the first three innings before Davis kept the fans on their toes with a series of powerful hits late in the fourth round. Garcia exhibits a solid straight left hand that he uses to counter the speed of Davis’ thrusts, and is the busier boxer according to CompuBox, throwing 345 punches compared to Davis’ 239.
However, it was Davis’ efficient and effective attack, built as the match progressed, that kept him in control of the match. After landing just four power punches in the first three rounds, Davis connected with a score of 69 in rounds four through eight.
“I didn’t throw a lot of shots at first because I was trying to beat him mentally,” Davis said. “I tried to trick him with my hands, eyes and the like because he is such a good fighter. I had to lure him.
The win was Davis’ fifth successful defense of his WBA Lightweight Title, and one that the umpires saw him in control throughout, as he led 79-73 on two cards and 78- 74 on the third card. After the match, Davis sent a message to undefeated rival Ryan Garcia, as the two drew close to a previously announced blockbuster clash this spring.
“God willing, I’m ready for a fight with Ryan Garcia,” Davis said. “Planned in April. I’m here. He is practicing. He is talking. And let’s see who’s really on that.”
In the co-main event, rising weight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) came to a unanimous decision against Karen Chukhadzhian (21-2, 11 KOs) to claim the Title. provisional IBF Welterweight class after going the first 12 rounds with a score of 120-108 three times.
“I learned to take my time and not rush anything,” says Ennis. “I am very happy to have gone 12 laps. It feels great. I feel like I’m at my best. I just need to throw a little more punch. I should get him out of there.
Philadelphia’s Ennis was one step closer to his chance to win the world title against the clumsy and evasive Chukhadzhian. The Ukrainian showed off dexterous footwork throughout the match, never staying in the pocket long enough for Ennis to combine combinations while occasionally landing counter-attacks.
Overall, Chukhadzhian trailed by a margin of 203 to 97, as Ennis also had the advantage in accuracy (34% to 17%) and body shots (88 to 11). This is the first game Ennis has gone this far since 2017.
“He runs a lot,” Ennis said. “Hats off to him because a lot of guys don’t want to fight me. So give him a shout out for coming here and joining this fight.
Chukhadzhian said: “He has a different speed than I used to know. “I am not making any excuses. I wish I could do more to hurt him.
Ennis remained patient throughout the championship rounds, as he futilely tried to take down his backing opponent before making a decision. With the interim title, Ennis has his sights set on unified IBF, WBA and WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr.
“Everybody knows I want Spence,” Ennis said. “I will continue to wait until the time is right and Spence is ready to fight.”
The pay-per-view action also saw Roiman Villa (26-1.24 KOs) hard to beat on the scoreboard by taking down previously unbeaten Rashidi Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) twice. in the 12th and final round before that. won a thrilling majority decision in their IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator. A referee gave the match a score of 113-113, but was dismissed by two scores of 114-112 in favor of Villa.
Having lost two cards into the final round, a restless Villa overcame a weary Ellis and delivered a bruised left hook that knocked Ellis down early in the 12th round. Ellis worked bravely to stood firm and saw the final bell, but was knocked down a second time when the match had 30 seconds left.
“He’s a tough fighter,” Villa said. “He moved around a lot. He hit very hard. The first few rounds I was a bit tight but then I loosened up. I was on top of him from the first round. I know that agile fighters like him get tired sooner or later and that’s what I took advantage of.”
After Ellis won the first five rounds with all three cards, Villa began to regain momentum in the mid-frames and made it through the final four rounds, including a game-changing 12th round. While Ellis overcame Villa by a staggering 164 to 13 margin, the difference in punch power was only 103 to 101 in favor of Ellis. In the 9th to 12th inning, Villa led 58 to 24 in hard landing punches.
The match was played at close range for the duration of the match, with Villa emphasizing action while Ellis was ready to sit back and counterattack. Included in those counter-attacks was Villa’s consistent effort to target the body, as he went from 53 to 10 on shots to the body.
Villa said: “My corner told me to knock him out in the 12th round. “I couldn’t do it on the first try but I kept going. I think he just fell on the last knock so I’m not sure if it was a knock or not. But if they want a rematch, we’ll give them a rematch.”
Following the referee’s ruling, Ellis said he believes he has won the match and looks forward to an immediate rematch.
“I want the rematch immediately,” Ellis said. “I think I am ordering the war. I did not know what had happened. I completely disagree with the decision. I won most of the rounds. Yes, he took down but other than that I won most of the rounds.
In the pay-per-view opening match, undefeated former two-division champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) secured a unanimous decision in his super middleweight division by taking down Demond Nicholson (26-5-1, 22 KOs) twice in 10 rounds.
“I feel fine, I can definitely tell the difference at the new weights,” said Andrade, who won by three points 100-88. “But my speed, mix and use of IQ was the plan today and that’s what we did. The weight is different.”
Andrade, a former world champion in the 154 and 160 pound weight classes, lunged at Nicholson and connected with his left hand shortly after the opening bell, setting the stage for further action. Andrade put Nicholson in the frame in the second half with a combo to the head, although Nicholson claimed the knock should have been considered a slip.
Nicholson nearly changed the game early in the fifth round when he appeared to connect with a body blow to Andrade that sent him tumbling. However, referee Malik Waleed called it a slip, before Andrade got up to win the round.
Andrade said: “The only way I can say I am the best is to fight the best. “Everybody knows that Demond Nicholson is a dog. That’s why we fought this. He’s in this fight because he knows I’m coming and he definitely has the beast in him. He showed that today.”
Andrade’s accuracy and volume proved to be the difference, as he connected at 45% clip rate, knocking out Nicholson 145 to 28. Andrade ended his dominance with a half-time knock. finally, knocking out a perfect counterattack that forces Nicholson’s gauntlet to touch the projector. Nicholson made it to the final ring, but Andrade came out with an overwhelming victory.
“We’ll see who’s available at 168 pounds,” Andrade said. “I will become stronger, sharper and faster.”
Before pay-per-view, SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN went live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page and was headed by Vito Mielnicki Jr. (14-1, 9 KO) scored Omar in the fourth round Rosales (9-2-1, 5 KO). Mielnicki’s onslaught came late in the third round, when a series of powerful punches sent Rosales into the net. Early in the fourth half, Mielnicki’s attack forced Rosales to take a corner, and referee David Braslow signaled for the game to start 26 seconds into the game.
The streaming presentation also featured undefeated rising star Brandun Lee (27-0, 23 KOs) in an ultra-lightweight draw that helped him dominate Argentina’s Diego Luque (21-11-2). , 10 KOs) via TKO in the fourth round (2:55 ). Nearly five months after being knocked down for the first time in his career in a match he would otherwise have dominated, Lee took a mostly patient approach on Saturday, carefully knocking out Luque. before knocking him out in the fourth round. A series of right-handed blows made Coach Luque give up. Starting live, rising super-middleweight prospect Travon Marshall (7-0.6 KOs) beat San Antonio’s Shawn West (7-3-1, 4 KOs) en route to halftime just 48 seconds after the match.
Davis vs. Garcia will air on SHOWTIME on Saturday, January 14 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT and will include Jaron Ennis’ Interim IBF Welterweight Championship with Karen Chukhadzhian.
Veteran sports broadcaster and “The Last Stand” podcaster Brian Custer hosted the TV show SHOWTIME PPV while versatile combat sports voiceover Mauro Ranallo once again handled the hit-to-hit action alongside analyst. Hall of Fame winner Al Bernstein and triple world champion Abner Mares. Three more Hall of Famers have completed the most honored team in boxing – ring reporter Jim Gray, world-renowned ring broadcaster Jimmy Lennon, Jr., and boxing historian Steve Farhood with his as an unofficial scorer. Former middleweight world champion and SHOBOX® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez called matches in Spanish on High School Audio Programming (SAP) with accomplished sports broadcaster Alejandro Luna. Four-time Emmy® winner David Dinkins, Jr. executive producer of the broadcast with Bob Dunphy, son of famous boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy, directing. Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell of the award-winning MORNING KOMBAT digital talk show hosted the SHOWTIME PPV COUNTDOWN streaming card before pay-per-view.
The event is promoted by GTD Promotions and TGB Promotions. Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian is promoted with D&D Boxing.
