The wait has been both long and excruciating. But after years of fulminating in the public eye, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis recently announced that their long-awaited showdown is agreed upon.

According to both, the pair will lock horns at a catchweight of 136-pounds with a date of April 15th, set as the ideal target. In the interim, Davis and Garcia will attempt to remain sharp.

In the case of Davis, the hard-hitting star from Baltimore, Maryland, has placed Hector Luis Garcia firmly in his sights. Officially, the two will face off in the Showtime PPV main event slot on January 7th, in Washington D.C.

Naturally, Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) has emerged as an overwhelming favorite. Yet, despite his chances of victory being viewed as miniscule, Garcia is just fine with flying under the radar.

While most of the boxing world has looked past the 31-year-old Dominican, Aureliano Sosa, head trainer of current 130-pound contender, Chris Colbert, refuses to summarily dismiss the chances of Garcia.

In what appeared to be nothing more than a routine stroll in the park, Colbert confidently sauntered to the ring against Garcia earlier this year. Though he was widely expected to trample over the former fringe contender with relative ease, Colbert came out listless as a motivated Garcia rolled to a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Bemused by what took place, Sosa has gained a newfound respect for what Garcia brings to the table. Considering that Garcia would go on to parlay his victory over the flamboyant Colbert into a world title win against Roger Gutierrez, Sosa is convinced that if Davis isn't careful, he could be in for a long and arduous night.

“I’m surprised they picked Hector,” said Sosa during an interview with BoxingScene.com. “Hector is definitely a tough fight, he’s one person they should not take lightly. It’s not gonna be an easy fight for Tank.”

Primed and ready for what appears to be a star-studded schedule in 2023, Davis is hopeful that the inactivity that plagued him this year, appearing in just one bout, will be a thing of the past. Still, even with just six rounds of work this year, Davis made the most of his bleak time slot.

On May 28th, in front of a roaring crowd in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Davis rendered longtime rival, Rolando “Rolly” Romero, unconscious. Ultimately, in spite of his concussive knockout power, Sosa doesn't envision Garcia suffering the same brutal fate, at least not in the first few rounds.

While he expects Garcia to defiantly stand up against Davis and his pernicious blows, at some point, the renowned trainer believes that the former multi-divisional star will eventually give his adoring fans the sort of bloodthirsty finish that they're hoping for.

“Tank is gonna have a little problem but the difference is, Tank has that equalizer. Anytime during the fight the equalizer lands, it’s over. It’s gonna be a hard fight but I think Tank will get him in the late rounds and probably stop him.”