By: Sean Crose

He may be polarizing to some, but Gervonta “Tank” Davis has an intensely impressive set of skills. Though he’s yet to engage in a legit superfight, the 27 year old passes they eye test over and over again – often against quality opposition. Davis’ opponent Sunday night at LA’s Staples Center is himself a quality fighter – a high quality one in fact. Whether or not Isaac Cruz has what it takes to take down Davis remains to be seen, but no one is claiming the match is a dud. It may not be the kind of fight to break through to mainstream American audiences. It may not even be worthy of it’s status as a pay per view event. What Davis-Cruz is, however, is rather compelling. These are not the types of guys to waltz around a ring for twelve full rounds.

Boasting a record of 25-0, Davis has won all but one of his bouts by knockout. A protégé of Floyd Mayweather, Davis appears to be being groomed to be one of the biggest names in boxing. He isn’t at superstar level yet, but Davis is most certainly popular – and with good reason. Bringing speed and incredible power, WBA lightweight titlist Davis is entertaining to watch in the ring. The man is the favorite walking into Sunday’s scheduled 12 round affair for a reason.

As for the 22-1-1 Cruz, the fighter is no slouch. Like Davis, he too knows how to end the show early. He’s also a compelling athlete to watch, one who comes comes forward behind a solid jab and often ends the night by turning out the lights on his opponents. What’s more, Cruz has only lost one fight, and that was almost six years and twenty opponents ago. Don’t be fooled by the imperfect record, Cruz is no slouch.

Will he be able to chalk up a memorable upset as 2021, a kind of year of memorable upsets, winds down? It looks like Davis’ speed, power, and overall talent will tell the tale, but few picked Teofimo Lopez to lose to George Kambosos last weekend, either. Should Cruz pull off the upset, the world of boxing will once more be rocked back on its heels. Should Tank win as he’s widely expected to, on the other hand, he will no doubt continue facing the same criticism and adulation he has for the past several years now. That may not be fair – but boxing has a rugged reputation for a reason. It’s tests competitors both in and out of the ring.

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