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Boxing is not a tough competition, to tell the truth. In fact, it hasn’t been a tough competition since fighters like James Corbett began successfully employing things like jabs and footwork in the late 1800s. Since that time, simply being tough in the prize ring hasn’t worked out. See fierce ring masters of the past like Jack Dempsey, Sonny Liston and Mike Tyson. There were many skills at work there to complement all the violence (or was it violence complementing the skills?).
Maybe that’s why it’s such a big deal when two top-level fighters go head to head and are as violent as they are expert. Ray Leonard was nice, sure, but the boy knew how to rise to the occasion and get brutal when he had to. Just ask Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran, two men who knew far better than anyone how to combine skill and destruction in the ring. And let’s not even start with Marvin Hagler. His 1985 shootout with Hearns remains one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport.
And while it’s foolish to hope that 99.9% of all fights reach Hagler-Hearns levels, there’s a lot to be excited about this Saturday night’s fight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas. The fight, which will be held at a weight of 136 pounds, is scheduled for 12. Not that people think it’s going to go that long. These fighters are knockout machines. The two undefeated young fighters had 53 bouts between them. Only six went to the final bell. Fists will fly with frightening amounts of power behind them this weekend.
What’s more, these guys are in their primes. That makes Davis-Garcia a big deal. It is, without a doubt, the fight that professional boxing needs right now. The question, of course, is who will win? And the answer is probably: who can take it better. In other words, which man can successfully stand the heat while he walks through the other man’s fire? Davis is honestly the more skilled of the two fighters, but he starts out slow. Also Garcia is taller and throws punches with lightning speed. Provided that the fight does not end in the first seconds from a howitzer fired by one of the competitors, each will feel the other’s power.
Who, then, will be able to take it? Who can take enough time to stand? Who can take it well enough to ultimately outclass the other should the fight reach the final bell? Make no mistake, this match is very unlikely to be a sleep fest. It will take less than half a second for things to come to a sensational conclusion. There’s a reason this is getting so much attention.