After seven competitive rounds, Gervonta “Tank” Davis stood victorious over “King” Ryan Garcia. There was a lot of talk in the days leading up to the fight. Each fighter was promising to knock the other out in highlight reel fashion. Now while the fight did not turn into the next Gatti vs. Ward, it turned out to be a very good technical fight.

From the opening bell, you could tell Davis’s strategy was to box his way to the KO. He was moving off the jab, looking for openings when they came available. Garcia came out aggressively looking for a home for his left hook, as he threw it almost immediately at the start of the fight. The course of the fight changed in the second round. Garcia threw the hook; Tank got under and countered it with a beautiful hook of his own that put Garcia on the canvas.

From that point on, Garcia was hesitant which he admitted post-fight. He had his moments in spots, but he seemed apprehensive to sustain his output. His best moment came in the sixth round when he was able to land a couple of meaningful right hands that backed Tank into the ropes.

The seventh round saw Ryan’s tentativeness turn into eagerness and it cost him. During an exchange Ryan threw a right hook, and Tank countered with a picture-perfect left hook to the body. After a few seconds, Ryan backed up and took a knee, and was counted out. Many thought Ryan could continue, but when viewing the replay, it was a precise liver shot.

At the time of the stoppage Davis was ahead (59-56), (59-56), and (58-56). The win moves Davis to (29-0,27KO), while Garcia suffers his first professional defeat dropping to (23-1, 19KO).