The world of combat sports is slowly waking up from its holiday slumber. The first big boxing fight of the year will take place this weekend as Gerventa Davis defends his WBA (regular) lightweight title against Hector Luis Garcia.
This fight is a big one, only because of the addition of Davis, one of the top talents in the world. The undefeated lightweight is expected to be comfortable in this fight, making for an even more compelling fight against the undefeated Ryan Garcia.
The fight continues despite Davis’ ongoing legal troubles. Davis will answer in court next month on 14 charges related to the alleged hit-and-run incident in which his SUV crashed into a car carrying four people, including a pregnant woman. Earlier this month, a woman accused Davis of trying to kill her. That led to a domestic violence charge and a police report alleging Davis slapped the woman. However, those who later called 911 claimed that Davis did not harm her in the incident.
So this fight has a lot of baggage. Quite frankly, this game could very well be a squash game, and the funniest thing that happens here is probably Davis’ postgame interview (if he’s asked about his recent transgressions).
Bolt sequence
Main Card (9 p.m. ET, Showtime PPV)
Lightweight: Gervonta Davis def. Hector Luis Garcia (retired, said he couldn’t see) by TKO, R9
Welterweight: Jaron Ennis def. Karen Chukhadzhian by unanimous decision (120-108, 120-108, 120-108)
Welterweight: Roiman Villa def. Rashidi Ellis by majority (113-113, 114-112, 114-112)
Super middleweight: Demetrius Andrade def. Beat Nicholson by unanimous decision (100-88, 100-88, 100-88)
Prelims (6:45pm ET on YouTube)
Middleweight: Vito Mielnicki Jr def. Omar Rosales via TKO, 4th round (0:26).
Welterweight: Brandun Lee def. Diego Luque via TKO, Round 4 (2:55)
Junior middleweight: Travon Marshall def. Shawn West via TKO, Round 1 (0:50)
tickets
Tickets for Capital One Arena in Washington DC can be purchased here.
live
Davis vs. Garcia will be televised on Showtime Sports PPV for $74.99. The Showtime app can be used to stream Showtime content on TV streaming services Amazon FireTV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, XBOX One, and smart TVs from LG and Samsung.
The Showtime app is also available on Apple, Android and Amazon mobile devices.
Live news, updates and round-by-round commentary available here bloody elbow.