WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 5, 2023 – Fight Week is underway as undefeated five-time world champion and boxing superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis faces unbeaten world champion and upset specialist Héctor Luis García for Davis’ WBA Lightweight Title on Saturday, January 7 headlining a SHOWTIME PPV from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by GTD Promotions and TGB Promotions, areon sale now and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and capitalonearena.com. The Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian bout is promoted in association with D&D Boxing.
As both Davis and Garcia put the finishing touches on their fight-night preparations, here are some fight-week highlights and notes to help ring in the first major boxing card of the new year:
“TANK” DAVIS AMONG BOXING’S BIGGEST ATTRACTIONS
Davis continues to establish himself as one of boxing’s hottest, must-see attractions, capturing five world titles through three divisions, with three of his last five fights ending in one-punch knockouts. The 28-year-old has knocked out 17 of his last 18 opponents and will need to dispatch the dangerous and upset-minded García to pave the way for the recently agreed-upon blockbuster clash against unbeaten star Ryan Garcia in the spring of 2023. Of note for Davis as he prepares to participate in perhaps the most significant fight of his career:
- This marks Davis’ 13th total appearance on SHOWTIME® and SHOWTIME PPV and fifth time headlining a SHOWTIME PPV.
- Davis is from Baltimore, 35 miles northeast of D.C. He turned pro in D.C. in 2013 and has fought in the District four times but never at Capital One Arena.
- Davis has sold out arenas in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, when his sixth-round knockout of Rolando Romero was the highest-grossing and most attended combat sports event in Barclays Center history with nearly 19,000 fans (18,970).
STACKED UNDERCARD LED BY UNBEATEN RISING STAR JARON ENNIS
Unbeaten rising star Jaron “Boots” Ennis highlights a stacked undercard as the Philadelphia native faces IBF No.4-rated welterweight Karen Chukhadzhian for the Interim IBF Welterweight Title. Ennis has fought nine previous times on SHOWTIME. Unbeaten welterweight contender Rashidi Ellis duels the hard-hitting Roiman Villa in a 12-round IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator, and undefeated two-division world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade and Laurel, Maryland-native Demond Nicholson will clash in a 10-round super middleweight fight opening the pay-per-view. Andrade fought on SHOWTIME twice previously.
SHOWTIME BOXING IN THE DMV REGION
The last SHOWTIME boxing event in the DMV region was April 30, 2016 when Badou Jack took on Lucian Bute for a super middleweight title at The D.C. Armory. This is the fourth time SHOWTIME has visited the Capital One Arena (formerly MCI Center & Verizon Center). The last time SHOWTIME visited Capital One Arena was for Mike Tyson’s farewell fight against Kevin McBride on June 11, 2005, when it was MCI Center.
WHERE TO CATCH ALL THE ACTION
The four-fight pay-per-view event kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is widely available for purchase and live streaming in the United States at SHOWTIME.com/ppv and via the SHOWTIME app on supported devices including Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, Samsung Smart TV and LG Smart TV (2019 models and newer), Xbox One, Xfinity Flex, the Cox Wireless 4K Contour Stream Player and online at SHOWTIME.com. The event is also available for purchase in the U.S. via satellite and telco systems through DIRECTV®, DISH, Sling TV and Vubiquity. The suggested retail price is $74.95 (SRP). In Canada, viewers can purchase and access the event via traditional cable and satellite distributors (Bell, Rogers, Shaw and SaskTel/TELUS). Liberty and Claro TV will offer the event in Puerto Rico. G&G Closed Circuit Events is the commercial distributor within the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.
WALL TO WALL WRAPAROUND COVERAGE
SHOWTIME SPORTS® will present continuous, wraparound fight coverage of all fight week events, featuring live HD satellite footage, video highlight packages and live event streaming heading into Saturday’s big PPV telecast starring the PPV fighters as well as boxers in action on the SHOWTIME BOXING PPV COUNTDOWN SHOW. Fight week activities and assets include footage from Wednesday’s open media workout; Thursday’s final press conference at 1 pm ET/10 a.m. PT; Friday’s official weigh-in at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and the post-fight press conference following the main event. The press conference, weigh-in and post-fight presser will be streamed live via the SHOWTIME SPORTS YouTube Channel and the SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook Page. The all-inclusive content, which includes fight night highlights, past fight footage and media event b-roll, etc., will be available for download HERE. All footage is cleared for news usage only through January 15, 2023 and must credit SHOWTIME (unless otherwise noted). The SHOWTIME BOXING PPV COUNTDOWN SHOW, which features blue-chip prospects Vito Mielnicki Jr., Brandun Lee and Travon Marshall in separate bouts, kicks off at 6:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. PT and will stream live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS® YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook page.
THE MOST TRUSTED VOICES IN ALL OF BOXING
Veteran sportscaster and “The Last Stand” podcaster Brian Custer will host the SHOWTIME PPV telecast while versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo will once again handle the blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three more Hall of Famers round out the most decorated team in boxing – ringside reporter Jim Gray, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. and boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer. Former junior middleweight world champion and SHOBOX® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez will call the fights in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) with accomplished sportscaster Alejandro Luna. Four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. will executive-produce the broadcast with Bob Dunphy, son of the storied boxing announcer Don Dunphy, directing. Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell of the award-winning MORNING KOMBAT digital talk show will host the SHOWTIME BOXING PPV COUNTDOWN streaming card before the pay-per-view.
ACCESSING EMMY-AWARD WINNING ALL ACCESS
SHOWTIME SPORTS released ALL ACCESS: GERVONTA DAVIS VS. HECTOR GARCIA on Friday, December 30 on SHOWTIME in an episode that delved into how boxing’s hottest attraction, Davis, and his longtime trainer Calvin Ford, prepared in Miami for the formidable challenge of facing the upset-minded Garcia. The episode also chronicled Garcia’s immense pride in representing his native Dominican Republic and how his devotion to his country has helped fuel his meteoric rise. A link to unlock the full episode of ALL ACCESS with its award-winning storytelling can be found HERE. To watch, share or embed a quick video highlight that opens the episode, click HERE.
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