Gervonta Davis was forced to pause his fight with Hector Garcia on Saturday night as Meek Mill and Gary Russell Jr. got into it in the crowd.
The five-time world champion superstar was on his way to a ninth-round victory in front of a sold-out Washington crowd. However, Davis got distracted by a scuffle, which turned out to be Mill and Russell’s teams in the front row.
Referee Earl Brown called time on the fight until the tensions at ringside died down. It was an unprecedented event to see a professional boxing match stopped for something happening at ringside.
Ex-WBC middleweight ruler turned analyst Sergio Mora commented as he watched the events in disbelief.
“The Latin Snake,” said: “What? Stopping the fight inside the ring for a fight outside the ring!”
Meek Mill vs Gary Russell Jr
Rapper Mill, 35, addressed the shocking incident after the Capital One Arena contest had ended.
“I would never let petty s*** escalate to let somebody movie run. But I just walked away. I came to support tank and Boots [Ennis]. Good wins,” said Mill.
He added: “Congratulations, Tank! I almost fought a boxer [Gary Russell Jr], telling him this fight is not going twelve rounds. I missed the big bomb!”
After the furor disbanded, Davis celebrated another memorable victory as he displayed his skills. He stopped the super featherweight champion in the ninth round.
The two champions jockeyed for position over the first three rounds before Davis got the fans back on their feet with a series of hard power shots late in round four.
Garcia displayed a solid straight left hand that he employed to counter the speed of Davis’ jabs. The underdog was the busier fighter, according to CompuBox, throwing 345 punches to Davis’ 239.
Gervonta Davis wins
However, Davis’ effective and efficient attack, built as the fight continued, helped him take control.
After landing only four power punches in the first three rounds, Davis connected on 69 in rounds four through eight.
Having suffered blindness at the end of round eight, Garcia was forced to pull out in the next round. The events should be remembered for that, rather than a rapper and a former champion getting into it outside the ropes.
Davis will now move on to battle Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas this spring, provided he avoids jail time at a hit-and-run trial next month.
