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By: Hans Themistode
Gervonta Davis did exactly what many were expecting.
Despite giving up several inches in height, reach and weight, Davis was still the prohibited favorite against Mario Barrios this past weekend at State Farm Arena, in Atlanta Georgia. Davis dropped Barrios three times before ultimately stopping him in the 11th to strip away his WBA “Regular” super lightweight world title.
Like always, the immediate question for Davis was what’s next? With the Baltimore native holding world titles at 130, 135 and 140 simultaneously – there is a long list of fighters that he could face in his next trip to the ring. At 130 pounds, the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Oscar Valdez would have openly admitted that they would love a showdown against Davis. At 135, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia, and of course – Vasiliy Lomachenko, are all patiently waiting on him.
In terms of his of the possible names he could be up against in his new home of 140 pounds, Josh Taylor, the undisputed world champion at the weight class, has gone back and forth with Davis several times over. Yet, for fans who are craving a matchup between Davis and any of those fighters, they were left highly disappointed as Floyd Mayweather has revealed that future Davis fights will take place against fighters amongst his stable.
“We work smarter not harder,” said Mayweather as he addressed the future of Davis following his win. “Mayweather Promotions, PBC (Premier Boxing Champions), we all one family. We keep everything in house. We’re not gonna go away and make another company great. We’ve got plenty of fighters at 140, 135 and 130. We’re gonna continue to fight the fighters that we’ve got to fight.”
While neither PBC nor Mayweather Promotions possess many of the top names in those weight classes, one fighter that has dared Mayweather to call him out is former 140-pound champion, Regis Prograis. The New Orleans native gave credit to Davis following his win over Barrios but didn’t mince words when describing what would have happened if the two faced off in the ring.
“Good fight Tank, solid opponent but he ain’t me,” said Prograis during a self-recorded video late last night. “I will f*cking knock you out little boy.”
While it’s unclear if Prograis will have his wish granted, there’s a chance he could be next in line. In October of 2020, Prograis took on Mayweather Promotions signed fighter, Juan Heraldez, knocking him out in the third round. Ironically enough, Prograis took care of business on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz. With Mayweather making it clear that he has no intentions of placing Davis in a matchup against anyone outside of his stable, this could make Prograis the frontrunner.
