Gervonta Davis Unwillingly Elevated To WBA Super Champion!
After a few years of exploring different weight classes and capturing the second-tier version of the WBA title (regular version), Abdul “Tank” Wahid, formerly Gervonta Davis, (29-0, 27KO) can now call himself a real champion again! Since former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney has decided to campaign at junior welterweight, the WBA has elevated Wahid to super champion status. However, it should be noted that Wahid previously stated he did not want this status.
Elevations happen quite often, regardless of the controversial discussions that arise. The aforementioned former undisputed champion himself was upgraded to WBC champion when the organization wasted time on a now defunct “franchise status”. Although, this actually became the start of his rise to claiming the divisional crown, he garnered heavy criticism for not fighting for the title. Relatively unknown and M.I.A. cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulimarian was elevated to WBA super status from the coveted (sarcasm intended) Gold status without having to fight for it.
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THE CATCH
As mentioned, elevations are common, therefore, the problem is not the elevation itself. It lies in the idea of Wahid being awarded the status when there has been controversy over his “inability” to face stiffer competition. Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez and Vasyl Lomachenko are all viable fights that are overdue. Over the years up until the end of 2023, there have been social media quarrels with each fighter, but nothing is close to being materialized. The only match-up Wahid gave the boxing world that could be considered meaningful of late was against Ryan Garcia. However, Garcia was clearly over-matched on paper and it showed in the ring.
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Furthermore, fans who do not understand how the WBA title system works are quick to label Wahid a four-division champion. However, Tank actually held the regular title in two of the four divisions he has campaigned in. Therefore, with the inclusion of this elevation, he has technically been gifted the accolade of three-division champion. Moreover, the last time he held a major title was in 2020 when he defeated Leo Santa Cruz for the WBA Super junior lightweight title! If dubbing a fighter a “multi-division” champion means the inclusion of minor titles, then the amount of multi-division champs in boxing would grow exponentially!
THE SETUP
Lastly, the current WBA rankings list Isaac Cruz, William Zepeda, Frank Martin, Edwin De Los Santos and Floyd Schofield as the top five. Wahid already defeated Cruz in 2021, but a rematch has been in discussion prior to the elevation. De Los Santos lost to Shakur Stevenson on his worst day in November 2023. Schofield is still considered a prospect and is not ready to face Tank. Martin and Zepeda present the best challenges of the group, but they are still a level or two below the competition fans are expecting Tank to face at this point in his career. Given the rankings, Wahid can feast on lower-level opposition for quite sometime if he can maintain his weight.
In fact, the best match-up would be contender #7 in Vasyl Lomachencko. However, don’t hold your breath on this fight happening. Fans have asked for this meeting since Tank was holding titles in the junior lightweight division over half a decade ago! Hopefully Wahid will have a change of heart and use the elevation as motivation to make fights with the best boxing has to offer in and around his division!
