By: Julio Olmo
One of the most marketable fights in the world of Boxing is finally happening.
Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia will no longer just be yapping at one another on social media, and have formalized a much-discussed fight by signing contracts for a 136 lb catchweight fight on April 22nd.
The fight will take place in Las Vegas.
Formally delivering a fight that sort of needed to happen, and now will.
On top of just the typical pitfalls that many Boxing negotiations suffer, this fight had plenty of its own road bumps along the way with their respective sides publicly disputing who should control rematch rights, to Davis just recently pleading guilty to a hit-and-run, which is likely to have him serve at least some jail time after this upcoming fight.
This is boxing, however, and there’s still plenty of time for more things to go awry between now and then, but for now, we start gearing up for what should make for both an eventful press run and a fight inside the ring.
The last hurdle was cleared when Davis pleaded guilty to a hit and run but wouldn’t be sentenced until May.
One big obstacle in the potential Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis megafight was Davis’ legal issues.
Today, Davis took care of one of those issues that would allow the fight to happen, but that doesn’t mean he will leave with his freedom intact.
Davis was scheduled to stand trial for a hit and run that injured four people, including a pregnant woman, but instead, he pleaded guilty.
Here are the details via the Baltimore Banner.
Baltimore boxing champion Gervonta Davis pleaded guilty on Thursday to four traffic offenses in connection to a hit-and-run that injured four people — including a pregnant woman — in 2020.
Davis, 28, was set to stand trial in Baltimore Circuit Court before taking the plea agreement. Circuit Judge Althea M. Handy will determine the punishment for the crime at sentencing on May 5.
On Nov. 5, 2020, Davis was at a club celebrating his birthday and latest victory in the ring. He was driving a 2020 Lamborghini Urus SUV on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at about 1:50 a.m. when he ran a red light and hit a 2004 Toyota Solara, Baltimore Police reported.
The car was “destroyed,” according to police. Four people were taken to the hospital, police reported, while Davis left in another car that showed up on the scene.
Circuit Judge Melissa M. Phinn previously rejected a proposed plea agreement in the case that called for Davis to serve no jail time in the crash.