LOS ANGELES – Gervonta Davis is not bothered by Ryan Garcia’s skillset. 

The two undefeated stars will meet in an anticipated battle that is years in the making on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view.

During their kickoff press conference at The Beverly Hilton, Davis and Garcia got up close and personal and sized each other up. 

Davis placed his clenched left hand directly near Garcia’s chin and also declared “I’m gonna walk you to the deep waters and I’m gonna drown you. They gonna have to pick you up. I promise you that.”

Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) declared that Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) is a one-dimensional fighter who only has one trick up his sleeve – a left hook. 

“This guy keeps talking about how he’s gonna hit me with a hook, but he doesn’t have anything else but a hook. What else have you got? He’s not a complete fighter,” said Davis. “When you’re a complete fighter, you can do everything. You can’t just depend on one punch. What happens when that punch doesn’t work? You have to rely on something else.”

Garcia has leveraged his left hook to stop four out of his last five opponents dating back to 2019. The foes he’s beaten include Romero Duno, Francisco Fonseca, Luke Campbell, and most recently in July, Javier Fortuna. 

The Baltimore-bred knockout artist Davis insisted that he’s not impressed with Garcia’s resume. But he did admit that the 24-year-old would be the toughest test thus far in his 10-year career. 

“I feel as though I’m already that top guy in the sport. This fight is just about me getting over the hump,” said Davis. 

“I’ve put a lot of guys to sleep and Ryan is next … Didn’t Ryan get caught [and knocked down] by Luke Campbell? Do I hit way harder than Luke Campbell? Yes or no? … He’s putting on a front for the people. That’s what I see. I see a guy who’s an act. That’s what it is.

“This is gonna be an explosive fight. If you don’t watch boxing, this is the fight to watch for sure. If you can get there, make sure you’re there. If you can’t be there, buy the pay-per-view. Because this is gonna be a good one for me.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.