Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis have put their money where their mouths are ahead of this weekend’s long-awaited grudge match. Both fighters agreed to a winner-takes-all bet with the victor walking away with not only his own purse but his opponent’s as well.
The fast-rising stars square off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night with their undefeated records on the line. But the pair have only added to the ante by agreeing on a wager that could cost them millions.
According to Sporting Payouts, Davis is guaranteed a purse of around £1.2m ($1.5m), while Garcia is expected to pocket just £280,000 ($350,000). These estimates appear to be on the lower side of the scale, and it is likely they will receive far more for the fight.
Especially given the potential pay-per-view payouts for the blockbuster showdown, of which Davis has a 60-40 split. The bet was agreed upon during an Instagram live with Twitch streamer Kai Cenat in front of nearly 200,000 fans.
Davis was hosting the live stream with Cenat when his rival gatecrashed the video from his car. After trading a few verbal jabs, Davis said to Garcia: “Yo, you wanna bet?” To which, Garcia responded: “Yeah, let’s do it. I’m down.” Davis then added the condition to the bet: “The whole purse?” Before Garcia confirmed the particulars, adding: “Let’s do it the whole purse. You hear me on the live, let’s go, let’s make a contract, let’s sign it, both of us.”
This bet is yet another entertaining twist in what has been a very exciting pre-fight build-up. Their launch press conferences in New York and Los Angeles saw several feisty exchanges as Davis added fuel to the fire by turning up nearly two hours late for their first press event.
Garcia slammed Davis for his unprofessionalism and got an earful in return. “Look at how he represents himself, he’s not even here,” said Garcia. “It’s been over an hour. It’s unprofessional.
“We’ve gotta rush this promotion for your little issue, so why aren’t you here? Show that respect for the promotion and the event, boxing for that part. It just shows his character and integrity.”
“You’re talking out of your a**,” said Davis after Garcia gave his prediction for the fight. “Somebody has got to promote this I was here on time, wasn’t I?” replied Garcia. “You’re supposed to be like that,” fired back Davis. Garcia then responded: “What do you mean by that? I’m professional, you ain’t.”