The pair originally met back in 2023 in front of a sold-out, star-studded crowd in Las Vegas, colliding at a catchweight of 136 pounds. Compounding the challenge of the weight limit for Garcia, strict rehydration clauses permitted him to put on a maximum of only 10 pounds by the morning of the fight, a physical restriction that many analysts and members of Garcia’s team argued drained him significantly before the opening bell even rang. On the night of the bout, Davis capitalized brilliantly. The undefeated knockout artist scored a knockdown in the second round and ultimately finished the contest in the seventh, sealing the victory when Garcia was unable to beat the referee’s count following a devastating, liver-shattering body shot.
In the years since that high-profile encounter, the two American boxing superstars have experienced vastly different trajectories inside and outside the squared circle. Garcia has successfully transitioned to higher weight classes, ultimately settling at welterweight. His move to 147 pounds paid massive dividends earlier this year when he captured a prestigious WBC world title, followed by a successful and dominant defense via a blistering second-round stoppage against Conor Benn.
Gervonta Davis, meanwhile, has seen a much more sporadic schedule. “Tank” has fought just twice since his victory over Garcia, securing a win against Frank Martin in 2024 before fighting to a draw with Lamont Roach Jr. in 2025. Complications outside of the ring further disrupted his career momentum. Ongoing legal troubles forced the cancellation of a lucrative exhibition match against social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul. While Davis has yet to officially book his next ring appearance, rumors within the boxing community suggest that a return is steadily edging closer.
Despite Garcia’s stellar campaign in 2026 and Davis’s relative inactivity, the debate over who would prevail in a second matchup remains fierce among fighters and pundits alike. Four-weight world champion Adrien Broner recently weighed in on the rivalry during a public exchange with Garcia, bluntly telling the young star that he still believes Davis would comfortably "smoke him" in a potential rematch.
Behind the scenes, however, talks have reportedly ventured past social media back-and-forths. Garcia recently revealed that the promotional teams for both fighters have connected behind the scenes to explore the logistical feasibility of a rematch. Yet, significant hurdles remain, particularly regarding the weight class. Garcia’s absolute insistence on staging the fight at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds is expected to be a major obstacle in negotiations. Davis has only ventured as far as 140 pounds on two occasions in his career and would be considerably undersized stepping up into the welterweight division against a naturally bigger and fully acclimatized champion like Garcia.
Both fighters have plenty of lucrative and elite alternatives on the table should the rematch fail to materialize due to weight disputes. “King Ry” is reportedly already locked in advanced negotiations for a massive upcoming unification bout against Teofimo Lopez, a fight that would further cement his legacy at 147 pounds. Meanwhile, former lightweight world champion George Kambosos Jr. has emerged as the most recent name linked to a potential fight with Davis as the Baltimore native prepares to map out his own comeback.
