Gervonta Davis continues to avoid the meaningful fights
There is no denying that regular WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (25-0, 24 KO’s) is a talented fighter. He is a three-division world champion whose name is ringing and has proven to be a pay-per-view draw. Not only this, the power in his gloves all but ensures that his fights will be warmly welcomed by the fans. Really the only major knock against Davis is how carefully he had been moved by Mayweather Promotions.
Rather than maneuvering him like a deadly weapon, he’s been pushed along as gingerly as Sam Jackson’s infamous Mr. Glass. To begin, Tank has largely avoided the WBA super champions in order to focus on the “regular’ titles. Team Davis has consistently attempted to sidestep this issue by saying a champion is a champion. The trouble is, even the WBA has come under such fire that they have set out to purge their ranks of the ‘regular’ champions.
Putting exclusive focus on the WBA to the side for a second, there are other champions that he could face. WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney and WBA super, WBO and IBF 135-pound champion Teofimo Lopez, for example. Yet, the Baltimore native doesn’t appear to have any stomach for these fights either.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS
So, in a recent interview conducted on the Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer, Tank gave his opinion on many of the dustups that the fans have clamored to see. Regrettably, Gervonta Davis did not supply the answers that most were hoping to hear.
First, Davis naysaid a bout with WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, stating that there never were any talks between the camps.
“Never! That’s a lie! I don’t even want to mention his name because its cap. It’s a lie and they just want clout. That’s it, even the promoter [Eddie Hearn], the promoter wants clout. He keeps bringing his name, them boys just want clout. There’s no way, you know that that is not happening.
Y’all didn’t even say nothing to nobody, y’all went on the internet and said that. Y’all didn’t even say nothing…even if that was, that close to the fight y’all was not letting him fight me. Come on let’s be honest, y’all not letting him fight me off no two weeks before the fight! He’s not prepared for me in two weeks!“
Welterweight Keith Thurman had shown interest in Tank as well, but this interest was definitely not mutual.
“Keith Thurman, we know who Keith Thurman is. He’s a guy that says many things but don’t do nothing! He say all this stuff, we don’t even know when the last time that he fought. When was that last time he fought, Manny Pacquiao? When was that? Come on, as far as boxing-wise he getting old in boxing. Like, come on bro, you got to be active somewhere. He’s not even worth mentioning.”
SECOND TIER GUYS PAY GOOD THOUGH!!
When flat-out asked if he thought that he was being moved poorly, Gervonta Davis could have simply said ‘no, I think I’m being moved fine.’ Instead he seemed to insinuate that he didn’t have to fight top guys because no one else was. It was an odd response, to say the least.
“They say that Mayweather Promotions is protecting me and not letting me fight top fighters? Okay, let’s just go off of whoever the top four guys are, whoever at the top, I don’t know who they talking about as far as the other fighters. Name somebody else that is fighting somebody that’s top whoever. You don’t see no other top guys fighting top guys. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. It’ll probably happen this year, next year or the year after that. I don’t know, but don’t just only put everything on me saying I’m not fighting top guys.“
“Not trying to discredit nobody but who is the top guy to fight? And the only person who fought somebody, and don’t want to give him his rematch, is Teofimo…name the other top guys that’s fighting top guys. Y’all keep saying Gervonta, Gervonta, Gervonta it’s only because of the numbers I am doing and I’m not fighting top, not saying not fighting top guys, not fighting the people that y’all want me to fight. That’s why y’all keep screaming out my name.”
FOR THE PEOPLE
It’s rather disheartening to hear this. For polarity, Devin Haney has consistently called out all the top guys, Tank included, and none seem to want to sign up. Therefore, Haney’s regular talking point is ‘no one will fight me.’ Here, Davis is saying, “why should I fight a top guy?” Not only is he asking the baffling question, he sounds like he is truly mystified by the whole matter. Even worse, he freely admits to being aware of the fact that he is a draw, there are top fights not being realized, he’s already a champion making great money and he is very cognizant of the fact that the fans want him in certain fights.
Yet, having admitted all this, he still turns around and honestly asks, “why should I fight meaningful fights?” This is all really a sad and tragic indictment on the true state of the sport. Here, a popular pay-per-view fighter, and lightweight champion, can’t understand why facing another champion is important. Let’s hope that either Gervonta Davis has a change of heart or public pressure gets too extreme, because as it is now, it doesn’t sound like Tank will fight who the people want any time soon.
Reading Time: 5 minutes
By: Bakari Simpson
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