Gervonta Davis has handed his American compatriot Ryan Garcia the first defeat of his career with a vicious body shot in the seventh round of their epic fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Davis, 28, has won five world titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight classes and now boasts a 29-0 record with 27 knockouts.

Davis took out the 24-year-old Garcia in the second round on Saturday night with a ferocious left overhand counterpunch.

It was a fierce fight, and Garcia had some good moments, but after the second round, Davis looked to be on the front foot.

The knockout blow was stingingly fast as Davis took advantage of an advancing Garcia, landing a perfectly placed punch to Garcia’s ribcage.

After staggering back, Garcia steadied himself and appeared to be able to fight on, throwing a left jab into the air before dropping to one knee.

“It was a good shot,” Davis said after the fight. “I thought he was going to get up. I was looking at him, trying to tell him ‘get up.’

“And he just shook his head.”

No titles were on the line for this much-hyped showdown, which took place at a catchweight of 136 pounds (62kg).