By Vince Dwriter: The year 2022 was good to the reigning undefeated WBA super featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia, but now the Dominican boxer will try to start 2023 off in a big way by upsetting one of the best lightweights in the sport of boxing, when he faces Gervonta “Tank” Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) on January 7 at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. live on Showtime Pay-per-view.
About a year ago, Hector Luis Garcia was a boxer who was trying to make a name for himself on the professional level. He was a decorated amateur who represented his country, the Dominican Republic, in the 2016 Olympics, and five years later, he was labeled a rising pro prospect.
In July 2021, Garcia stepped inside the squared circle and scored a fourth round TKO victory over Miguel Moreno Gonzalez. Five months later, Garcia was back in action as he faced adversity in the first round of his bout when his opponent Isaac Avelar knocked him down, but Garcia was able to get up, dominate the remaining seven rounds, and collect the unanimous decision victory.
Going into the year 2022, Garcia’s goal was to fight a legitimate super featherweight contender, and his wish was immediately granted when he signed on to face Chris “Prime Time” Colbert. Garcia went into the fight as the underdog, but he came out of the bout as the winner by unanimous decision.
By scoring the stunning upset victory over Colbert, the Dominican boxer Garcia received a reward in the form of a world title opportunity against the champion Roger Gutierrez. In August 2022, Garcia dictated the pace of the bout by using his jab, throwing solid combinations, and consistently outworking his opponent en route to winning his first world title.
The man who went from an unknown to a world champion in the span of six months is currently preparing for the biggest challenge of his professional boxing career. On January 7, the newly crowned WBA super featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) will clash with the very dangerous boxer-puncher, the WBA (regular) lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.
Tank Davis is a very skilled southpaw who has power in both hands. Garcia is going up a weight class from 130 to 135, and he enters this bout as the overwhelming underdog. Despite being tagged with the underdog label, Garcia is focused on taking advantage of his chance to boost his career.
During a recent interview with Premier Boxing Champions, Garcia talked about his big chance to earn a career-altering victory, and he also spoke about his desire to challenge himself.
“Now, this is an opportunity to elevate myself after a long career that has seen me succeed plenty. These are the kind of fights I need right now.”
Hector Luis Garcia started the year as a boxer under the radar, and by the end of 2022, he posted the upset of the year and a world title victory. Now the 31-year-old Garcia has a golden opportunity to start his New Year off in a big way by scoring a colossal upset and taking his career to the next level. Garcia is ready for battle, and he has a verbal message for his upcoming opponent.
“Gervonta, we are working 100 percent towards giving the fans a war. We are both here, and I’m ready to prove why I’m here and why I got the chance to face off against you.”
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