Bodog’s Davis vs Garcia Betting Preview
Who’s the biggest name in boxing right now? It might be Jake Paul because of his social media status, or it might be one of the three men Paul suggested in a recent interview: Gervonta Davis, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, or Tyson Fury. If you think “Tank” Davis tops the list, our Davis vs Garcia betting preview is for you.
Davis can stake his claim this Saturday (PPV starts at 8 PM ET) with a win over Ryan Garcia at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. It’s the most hotly anticipated fight of the year; they’re billing it as It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This, and they might be right.
It should definitely be a competitive fight. Davis is the –250 favourite at Bodog Sportsbook as we go to press, with Garcia priced at +200 for this non-title bout. It’s the least amount of chalk Davis has generated since his January 2017 fight with Jose Pedraza, when Davis was available at –160 leading up to his first title shot.
That was for the IBF super featherweight title, and it was successful, of course – Davis carries a perfect 28-0 record (26 KOs) into Saturday’s contest. Will he make it 29-0 at Garcia’s expense? Or will the underdog have his day? Davis vs. Garcia betting odds are available right now at Bodog Sportsbook. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll find on the menu.
Davis vs. Garcia Betting
It all starts with the fight itself. Davis is the obvious favourite here, having dispatched every opponent he’s faced while claiming titles across three weight divisions; the 28-year-old southpaw from Baltimore is the current WBA (Regular) lightweight champion, winning the vacant title in December 2019 over Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Garcia isn’t to be trifled with, though. Still just 24 years old, the right-hander from Los Alamitos, California is also undefeated as a pro at 23-0 (19 KOs), including a win over Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell in January 2021 for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title.
Things went a bit sideways for Garcia after that. He was stripped of the title that spring after pulling out of a potential defense against Javier Fortuna, then injured his hand in training and didn’t fight again until last April, when Emmanuel Tagoe took him the distance before dropping a unanimous decision.
Garcia then scored a convincing sixth-round KO of Fortuna in July, setting up a potentially amazing fight this Saturday between two of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the business. But there’s a catch – literally and figuratively. Not only will they be fighting at a catchweight of 136 pounds, there’s also a 10-pound “rehydration” clause that Garcia had to accept before signing.
This was a bone of contention for Garcia, one of several that led to their heated press conference last month. Garcia is by far the larger of the two men, standing 4.5 inches taller at 5-foot-10 with a 2.5-inch reach advantage; the rehydration clause will prevent Garcia from bulking up as much as he normally would after the weigh-in.
It might not be that big of a deal. Garcia claims he usually enters the ring at around 148 pounds, just two pounds more than his maximum allowance for Saturday’s contest. But it’s been two years now since Garcia fought Campbell at lightweight – his last two fights were at super lightweight. This rehydration clause will definitely throw Garcia off his routine to some degree.
At the very least, it makes Saturday’s fight even less likely to go the distance. The boxing props at Bodog have a stoppage very much in the cards at –360. You can also get Davis to win by KO, TKO or DQ at –155, with Garcia priced at +310.
On top of all that, the Davis vs. Garcia round props should be extra-busy this weekend after Davis predicted a KO victory in the seventh or eighth. Fittingly enough, there’s a 7.5-round total on the boxing odds board at Bodog, with Davis at +1100 to win in Round 7 and +1200 in Round 8.
There is a chance both of them will remain undefeated when all is said and done. The draw for Saturday’s fight is priced at +1400; it’s an unlikely result for a matchup between two knockout artists, but certainly possible given the quality of both of these boxers.
Morell vs. Falcao Betting
There is one title fight on Saturday’s card, and it’s in the super middleweight division, where WBA (Regular) champion David Morrell will put his belt on the line against Yamaguchi Falcao in a lefty-v-lefty battle. Odds are pending at press time.
Morrell (8-0, 7 KOs) is 10 years younger than his challenger at age 25, and perhaps vulnerable in this spot after he was elevated from interim to Regular champion unopposed – although Morrell has successfully defended his title four times, all by KO/TKO.
Falcao (24-1-1, 1 NC; 10 KOs) won the light heavyweight bronze medal for Brazil at the 2012 Olympics, and has collected regional titles across three divisions; he’s on an eight-fight winning streak heading into the biggest night of his career thus far. He’s also a very late replacement for Sena Agbeko, an added wrinkle that should make this fight even more interesting for everyone involved.
Rosado vs. Melikuziev Betting
Further down Saturday’s card, we have another super middleweight bout between Gabriel Rosado (26-16-1, 1 NC; 15 KOs) and Bektemir Melikuziev (11-1, nine KOs). This is a rematch of their June 2021 fight, which Rosado took by third-round TKO to add to his growing collection of regional titles. Melikuziev is 4-0 since then, and Rosado is 0-3; maybe the former will have gotten his revenge once the dust has settled.
After the preliminaries are over, it’ll be time for Davis and Garcia to decide who will be the face of boxing. Keep checking in with Bodog Sportsbook for fresh boxing odds, and enjoy the fights.