Davis-Garcia: Gervonta Davis SHOVES Ryan Garcia at weigh-in ahead of 136-pound clash

‘King’ Ryan Garcia and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis almost got into another fight during Friday’s weigh-in for their highly anticipated catchweight bout on Saturday in Las Vegas.

The two have been exchanging insults for weeks, but things got a bit physical on Friday afternoon when 28-year-old Davis shoved 24-year-old Garcia after he stepped on the scale.

Davis even had a few words for Bernard Hopkins, one of Garcia’s promoters and a legendary former boxer himself, but quickly turned his attention back to his opponent.

“I think he and Bernard started to get and it got crazy,” Garcia told reporters, as quoted by DAZN.

‘[Hopkins is] speaking of that life, man, nobody cares about his old ass, he needs to sit back and let the youngsters do it,” Davis said.

In any event, both fighters managed to cross the 136-pound limit previously agreed upon during their protracted negotiations.

‘Punishment, knockout. It’s getting crazy,” Davis said. “Don’t blink, don’t get popcorn, don’t get drinks, none of that. Make sure you’re focused on the fight because it’s going to be an incredible fight.’

Boxing fans have spent the past few decades watching top fighters dodge each other in their prime and carefully pick lesser opponents so they can beat their records.

The lack of big-name matches that would have enticed even casual fans to order pay-per-view created a noticeable lack of buzz in the sport.

Saturday’s 12-round lightweight showdown between the undefeated Davis and Garcia does not follow that path.

Both fighters are at the top of their game, and because they chose to meet, they’ve been sending needed electricity through the sport. The most anticipated fight of the year takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“I feel like this fight is big for the sport,” Davis, who is from Baltimore, said Thursday. “We attract a lot of people and a win on that night is like winning a world title again.”

Garcia said seeing his face around the Las Vegas Strip made the significance of this fight clear.

“This is what I dreamed about since I was a little boy and now I’m here,” Garcia, who lives in Los Angeles, said Thursday.

Even though both sides recognize what Saturday means, there is genuine animosity between the boxers and their camps, a lengthy battle of words that continued during Thursday’s press conference.

Davis accused Garcia of only owning a left hook, and Garcia said Davis didn’t have much punching power. They exchanged several barbs during the presser, called each other delusional, and chirped again when they came face to face for the traditional pre-fight promotional pose.

Both promoters did not hold back either.

Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, kicked it off by saying that Davis’ camp kept asking for several contractual demands to be met, suggesting a team wants to protect their fighter. … Nothing feels worse than your team not believing in you.’

“That’s one confident fighter,” De La Hoya said, looking at Garcia. “That’s why you’re going to see Ryan emerge as the new face of Saturday night boxing.”

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, did not give up.

“We’re the A side of the situation,” Ellerbe said. “That’s how the A side carries itself.”

Some of the back-and-forth was probably promotional schtick, but considering the fight is a sell-out and expected to bring in big pay-per-view numbers, it didn’t need much additional hype.

De La Hoya and Ellerbe knew what was at stake during the negotiations for this match, and they put aside all disagreements to make it happen.

“It’s not often in today’s day and age that you see two young fighters, both undefeated, both in their prime, step into the ring together,” said Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions. “This fight is going to be an instant classic, all-out war, a Hagler against Hearns. The good thing is Tank Davis, we have Hagler.’

Marvin Hagler knocked out Thomas Hearns in the third round of their epic 1985 fight, one of the most action-packed bouts in history.

The Davis-Garcia winner could set up a showdown with undefeated Devin Haney, who holds all four major championship belts in this division. Haney will face former champion Vasiliy Lomachenko in May, also in Las Vegas.

Davis is a min-290 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and he has devastating power. Of his 28 wins, 26 have been won by knockout.

Part of what makes this match so intriguing is that both boxers are capable of ending it at almost any time. Garcia has won 19 of 23 matches via knockouts.

It’s like back in the 1990s when boxing fans knew they couldn’t miss any part of a Mike Tyson fight because he could finish it in seconds. In this case, both boxers are capable of it.

A great show could elevate Davis or Garcia to a Tyson-esque status that boxing desperately needs, or at least start generating the types of conversation in martial arts that have recently been reserved for mixed martial arts.

In the co-main event, undefeated WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. against former Olympic bronze medalist Yamaguchi Falcao. Morrell, 25, is 8-0 with seven knockouts, and Falcao, 35, is 24-1-1 who has won eight games in a row, including five last year.

FanDuel lists Morrell as a min-1,800 favorite.