- Crowd trouble involving a fighter and the rapper Meek Mill temporarily paused a big boxing fight Saturday.
- "It was just a lot of yelling and pushing," said Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza.
Gervonta Davis marched to yet another knockout win Saturday at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The victory over Hector Luis Garcia, who was one of the breakout boxers from last year, sets Davis up for a huge pay-per-view clash against Ryan Garcia in April.
But Davis had to wait to get his finish, as the referee paused the weekend bout in the eighth round due to what appeared to be crowd trouble.
American rapper Meek Mill, and boxer Gary Russell Jr. and his brothers, seemed to argue ringside — and it may have all come down to allegiance.
Russell, for instance, is wildly anti-Davis because of a built-in boxing rivalry that has spanned for years around the east coast.
Mill, meanwhile, was cheering for Davis.
The altercation could be seen on the Showtime pay-per-view broadcast, and ultimately referee Albert Earl Brown stopped the fight until order was restored.
"We had the Russells, we had Meek Mill, we had a little bit of conflict," Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza told Fight Hub after the event.
"Everybody walked away with no problems. It was just a lot of yelling and pushing."
On Twitter, Mill said: "I would never let no petty shit escalate to let somebody movie run. I just walked away. I came to support Tank! Good wins."
—MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 8, 2023
Davis' power was the difference once again
A devastating shot from Davis in the eighth round affected Garcia so badly that he was unable, or unwilling, to continue after the minute-long break between rounds.
—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 8, 2023
It meant Davis earned a second successive stoppage win in his career, taking him to a pro record of 28 wins (26 knockouts). He remains unbeaten.
"I knew when I caught him he was hurt," Davis said in his post-fight interview with Showtime commentator Jim Gray. "He was hurt bad. He's a fighter. He didn't wanna show it."
Statistics from the fight follow a familiar trend for Davis, as the heavy-handed fighter threw fewer shots than Garcia (who landed 55 punches from 345 thrown).
However, Davis was far more effective with his 99 shots landed from 239 attempted, good for a 41.4% accuracy rating, according to Compubox data sent to Insider.
Davis vs. Garcia appears to be next
As Insider was first to report in October, representatives from the camps of Davis and Ryan Garcia were locked in "deep talks" regarding an imminent super fight.
The path is now clear for the unbeaten rivals to compete in a probable 136-pound catchweight contest that brings together some of the most powerful promoters in the business — Premier Boxing Champions and Golden Boy Promotions.
"I'm feeling good," Davis told reporters at the post-fight press conference. "On to the next, man — ready for Ryan."
—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 8, 2023
The event, which will likely land in Las Vegas in April, will air on Showtime pay-per-view and will also be available to view on DAZN pay-per-view.