The next Garcia in line is ready for Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.

Ryan Garcia was among the world’s most interested observers during Davis’ eventual ninth-round stoppage of WBA 130-pound titlist Hector Luis Garcia (no relation) to defend his WBA ‘Regular’ lightweight title. Davis was ahead on all three scorecards after eight rounds, before Dominican Republic’s Garcia complained of blurred vision in his corner.

The fight was stopped at 0:13 of round nine in their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event Saturday evening from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Within seconds of the official verdict being announced, Davis’ next potential opponent joined the chat.

“No more talking, let’s get it on - April 15th,” Ryan Garcia tweeted out immediately after the fight.

An official date is not yet set for their discussed superfight, though April was mentioned as the targeted timeframe all along. Davis (28-0, 26KOs) acknowledged at well after the fight, though mentioning the month but not a specific date for their previously agreed upon showdown which will take reportedly place at a maximum weight of 136 pounds.

“God willing, I’m ready for the fight, it’s scheduled for April,” Davis told Showtime’s Jim Grey after Saturday’s win. “He’s been talking, he’s been training. Let’s see who’s really about that.”

As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Davis and California’s Garcia (23-0, 19KOs) reached a deal in principle last November, though at the time with the agreement that both would take separate interim fights before leading to a head-on collision. Davis seized the opportunity after having to settle for a one-fight 2022 campaign.

Garcia opted to forgo a planned January 28th fight versus San Diego-based Filipino southpaw Mercito Gesta, preferring to head straight into the fight he wanted all along. It will mean a nine-month ring absence for the 24-year-old from Victorville, California. His last fight came on July 16, scoring a sixth-round knockout of Javier Fortuna just three months after ending a 15-month hiatus with a twelve-round decision win over Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe last April 9 in San Antonio, Texas.

The unbeaten contender feels that he’s ready now for the blockbuster fight he has craved for more than a year—and prepared to seize the moment once that day arrives.

“Goodbye Tank,” insisted Garcia. “[It’s] over for you.”  

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox