Tag Archives: Gervonta davis

Posted on 04/14/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Although Rolando “Rolly” Romero has yet to step into the ring with Gervonta Davis, he knows good and well the sort of explosive dynamite the multiple division world titlist has in his fists.

Having stopped 24 of the 26 opponents placed in front of him, Romero believes that Davis will be the most concussive knockout artist he’s ever faced. That said, however, Romero is confident that Davis has never experienced the sort of mind-numbing power he has at his disposal as well.

“By far,” said Romero to a group of reporters when asked if Davis is the heaviest puncher he’s ever faced. “By far,” repeated Romero when asked if he’ll be the hardest puncher Davis has ever fought.

On May 28th, in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Romero’s ambitious words will be put to the test. In front of what’s expected to be a sold-out crowd, both Davis and Romero will meet in the center of the ring to slug it out.

After initially having his showdown against Davis jerked from underneath his feet, Romero was convinced that he would no longer be granted this opportunity. Roughly one month before squaring off on December 5th, 2021, Romero was pulled from their contest due to mounting allegations of sexual assault.

Shellshocked by the entire ordeal, Romero accepted his fate and instead, placed all of his efforts on clearing his name, something he would do successfully just a few months later. With Romero temporarily out of the picture, Isaac Cruz stepped in on relatively short notice.

While Davis kept his perfect record intact, Cruz pushed the Baltimore native like few others. Following Romero’s win in the courtroom, the truculent former interim titlist at 135 pounds re-entered negotiations with team Davis. As a result, both sides agreed to terms and will now face off on May 28th.

Outside of his unanimous decision victory against Cruz, Davis reeled off 16 consecutive victories before the sound of the bell. But, regardless of the powerful southpaw’s propensity for inflicting otherworldly pain on his opponents, Romero is under the belief that due to his defensive capabilities, the power of Davis will be rendered useless.

“He’s not going to hit me.”

Posted on 04/11/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Generally, Gervonta Davis isn’t the most loquacious person when he walks into a room. Even as his fight dates draw near, the Baltimore native is calm, cool, and collected while his opponents are animated and truculent.

However, despite his normally serene demeanor, Davis and Rolando “Rolly” Romero nearly came to blows, as the two came face to face in Brooklyn, New York, during a recent press conference.

A shirtless Romero stepped right into the mug of Davis, provoking the heavy-handed multiple division titlist even further. Davis puffed his chest out, pointed his finger directly in the face of Romero, and continued to scream in his face, saying words such as “I’m a show you”, “you trash” and “you a b*tch” – amongst other things.

For Davis, his emotional reaction, in his mind, was both warranted and to prove a point. Following years of consistent trash talk over social media, Davis wanted to test Romero. While the former interim titlist at 135 pounds jawed back, Davis was bombastic as he continued to use disparaging word after disparaging word.

Having gotten the opportunity to look Romero eye-to-eye, Davis believes his upcoming opponent showed weakness.

“It’s different when people are talking on Instagram or anything, they talk,” said Davis to BoxingInsider.com. “I seen him in interviews talk. When it’s face to face, it’s different, it’s way different. He’s soft.”

Originally, Davis was hoping to put an end to his rivalry with Romero on December 5th, 2021. Although both men signed on the dotted line, Romero was forced to withdraw from their contest and place his focus on allegations of sexual assault. Stepping up in Romero’s place, was rough and rugged contender, Isaac Cruz. Though Davis would pick up the win, Cruz pushed him like no other.

As Davis continued to trade hooks with Cruz in the center of the ring, Romero scored the fight-ending blow in the courtroom. The 26-year-old cleared his name of any wrongdoing several months after charges were levied upon him.

Now, with a clean slate, Romero will attempt to stretch his undefeated record to 15-0 come May 28th. Following a lackluster showing against Jackson Marinez in August of 2020, Romero reeled off two consecutive knockout victories.

Though Davis figures to be his most difficult opponent, Romero has shown hubris when asked how he expects his showdown against Davis to play out.

“I’m gonna knock him out in the first round,” said Romero to BoxingInsider.com. “He’s going to run right into something.”

Posted on 04/07/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Gervonta Davis has heard his fair share of criticism over the selection of his opponent.

With the current Baltimore native set to defend his secondary 135-pound title against Rolando “Rolly” Romero on May 28th, in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, oddsmakers have pegged Davis as a considerable favorite.

While Romero has been the source of criticism due to his lack of experience in big-time fights, many are under the assumption that the loquacious knockout artist will crumble underneath the power of Davis. However, despite the public denigration of his skills, Davis believes that Romero is a top-five fighter in the lightweight division.

“He gotta be,” said Davis during an interview with BoxingInsider.com when asked if Romero should be considered a top five lightweight. “He’s fighting me, he’s gotta be somebody in that conversation.”

Romero, a former interim lightweight titlist, has been frothing and craving a showdown against Davis. Although widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the sport, Romero is convinced that not only will he knock Davis unconscious, but he’ll do so in the very first round.

Regardless of his theatrics, Davis isn’t losing sleep over what he believes are empty threats. The 27-year-old former three-division world titlist was originally scheduled to face off against Romero on December 5th, 2021. But, due to mounting allegations of sexual assault, Romero was forced to withdraw from their upcoming bout. In doing so, the one-time interim titlist focused his efforts on clearing his name, something he would do successfully several months later.

While Romero dealt with his legal issues, Davis was ushered into a contest against the rough and rugged Isaac Cruz. Although Cruz enjoyed plenty of moments of success, Davis shrugged off a left-hand injury to register a unanimous decision victory.

As Davis now resumes training camp for his grudge match against Romero, the hard-hitting 27-year-old has no fear of what he brings to the table. That said, however, Davis knows good and well that once the opening bell rings, Romero will charge straight ahead in an attempt to render him comatose.

“I don’t take nothing from him. I know what he’s coming to do and it’s just up to me to just adapt and win.”

Posted on 04/03/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Although Rolando “Rolly” Romero may hold an undefeated record through 14 professional bouts, oddsmakers believe his time as an unblemished fighter is coming to an end.

On May 28th, in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Romero will take on hard-hitting multiple division titlist, Gervonta Davis. With Davis holding an undefeated record of his own through 26 ring appearances, the 27-year-old has rendered 24 of those opponents unconscious.

Still, while Davis might be known for his deleterious knockout power and sublime overall boxing skills, Romero isn’t worried about his upcoming opponent. In fact, even with Romero registering five of his 12 career knockouts in the very first round, he believes his showdown against Davis will be his most effortless victory.

“I think it’s the easiest fight of my life,” said Romero during an interview with FightHype.com. “People don’t realize it but I know what’s about to happen.”

It wasn’t too long ago when Romero, a former interim titlist at 135 pounds, believed that a matchup against Davis would never materialize. Initially, the two were set to square off on December 5th, 2021. However, following allegations of sexual assault, Romero was pulled from their upcoming bout.

With the 26-year-old vowing to clear his name, he placed his boxing career on hold while shifting his focus to his legal matters. Several months later, Romero was vindicated of all wrongdoing.

Once given the green light, Romero and Davis began negotiations to revive their heated clash. With an official date and venue locked into place, Romero is anxious to prove to his doubters and naysayers that he is in fact, the better fighter.

Ultimately, despite his bravado, oddsmakers have remained firmly behind Davis, tabbing him as a significant favorite.

Although often annoyed, Romero simply smiles as he listens to the countless voices continuing to question his chances. For those who are unaware of the hard-hitting former interim titlist, Romero takes the time to explain his attributes, as well as why his overall skillset will lead him to victory on May 28th.

“People don’t realize that I’m unbelievably explosive. I’m way faster than I appear. My timing? I land the most accurate shit. I don’t miss punches. I know where to hit you, I know where to hurt you.”

Posted on 03/17/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Gervonta Davis has fluctuated up and down numerous weight classes while snagging world titles along the way over the past few years.

In 2019, following a successful run at 130 pounds, Davis made the move five pounds north to take on long-faded former champion, Yuriokis Gamboa, for the vacant WBA 135 pound crown. Davis would go on to brutalize Gamboa, stopping him in the 12th and final round. One year later, Davis moved back down to the super featherweight division, scoring a sixth-round knockout over Leo Santa Cruz.

To keep his penchant for moving through weight classes going, Davis challenged then WBA “Regular” titlist Mario Barrios, at 140 pounds. With Davis registering yet another stoppage win, the violent knockout artist has settled nicely into the lightweight division.

With a win over Isaac Cruz in December of 2021 to defend his secondary title at 135 pounds, Davis is set to return to the ring on May 28th, against Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Although Davis is firmly planting his flag in the ground at 135 pounds, Regis Prograis is hoping that he’ll change his mind.

Over the better part of the past 12 months, give or take, both Davis and Prograis have hurled verbal tirades at one another. Despite the back and forth trash talk, the former titlist at 140 pounds is currently focusing most of his efforts on his upcoming showdown against Tyrone McKenna. The two will battle it out this weekend at Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai.

Still, even with Prograis concentrating on McKenna, that didn’t stop him from detailing how a showdown between himself and Davis would ultimately play out.

“I’ll whoop him,” said Prograis during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Too big, too fast, too strong. I got a chin, I stay active.”

In addition to Prograis vehemently backing himself in their hypothetical matchup, the well-respected former champion doesn’t believe their contest would be a closely contested one. While he respects Davis and his pernicious punching power, Prograis is confident that if they fought, it would essentially be a walk in the park.

“He is a big puncher, he does have skills, he’s a southpaw. I think sometimes he can be slick but when he gets into fight mode, he’s kinda like the same person as me, like he likes to fight. Once I get my rhythm, I think it would probably be a pretty comfortable fight. He gets hit a lot. You can’t get hit too much by me.”

Posted on 03/14/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Count Gervonta Davis amongst a large list of supporters standing solidly on the side of Canelo Alvarez.

Throughout the years, the Mexican native has become one of the most well-known and well-respected fighters in all of boxing. His rise to the top of the pugilistic sport, however, coincides with his fairly lopsided majority decision loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in 2013.

Since then, Alvarez has gone undefeated in his next 16 consecutive fights. Along the way, he’s snagged world titles in various weight classes while making vast improvements.

Davis, admittedly, has become a huge fan of Alvarez. Although Davis has done his best to protect his glistening 26-0 record, the heavy-hitting multiple division titlist believes that Alvarez has become an entirely different animal following his decisive loss at the hands of Mayweather nearly a decade ago.

“I like Canelo as a fighter,” said Davis during an interview with Fino Boxing. “He’s tough. He learned a lot from his loss from Floyd. It made him a better fighter.”

Alvarez, now 31, has solidified himself as boxing’s biggest star. Over the span of 12 months, give or take, Alvarez truncated the world title reign of every 168-pound belt holder in the world. With victories over Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant – Alvarez became the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.

In an effort to maintain his lofty status on boxing’s mountain top, Alvarez will move up in weight to take on current WBA light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol. As the Mexican product continues to push his physical limits, Davis sits back in awe at both his overall accomplishments and his impressive skill set. Although Davis has found his name plastered on several credible pound-for-pound lists, he believes that no one should be placed above Alvarez.

“Pound-for-pound, he needs to be number one.”

Posted on 03/11/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Despite being highly disappointed in his removal from his original showdown against Gervonta Davis, Rolando “Rolly” Romero was confident that he would receive his chance sooner rather than later. Now, after clearing his name of sexual assault allegations, Romero was proven right.

Davis, a devastating puncher from Baltimore Maryland, will attempt to defend his WBA 135 pound secondary title against the former interim titlist, on May 28th. The pair are officially slated for an explosive contest at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

For Romero, although he’s relatively young in his 14 fight career, the 26-year-old has craved a showdown against Davis, one of boxing’s biggest stars. In an effort to drum up interest in their upcoming bout, Romero has antagonized Davis to no end.

Romero scratched, clawed, trash-talked and mostly fought his way to the biggest night of his pugilistic life. In 2021, Romero made quick work of both Avery Sparrow and Anthony Yigit, stopping both men identically in the seventh round.

Davis, on the other hand, has strung together his own impressive stretch of violent victories. First up for Davis, was a brazen move to 140 pounds to take former WBA secondary titlist, Mario Barrios in June of 2021. While Davis struggled early on, he eventually found his groove and ended their contest before the sound of the final bell.

For an encore, Davis attempted to zip the lips of Romero but as mentioned previously, their contest was pushed to the wayside. On relatively short notice, 135-pound contender Isaac Cruz stepped in to replace Romero.

Ultimately, Cruz proved to be both durable and relentless as Davis went on to eke out a close unanimous decision victory.

Posted on 01/25/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Paulie Malignaggi sits back and reminisces about the good ole days. Having spent almost half of his life under the bright lights of professional boxing, Malignaggi remembers a time when winning a world title was once a sacred and rare accomplishment.

Over the course of his near-decade and a half-long career, Malignaggi beams with pride when he speaks of winning his world titles. In 2007, one year after losing in his first attempt at a championship against Miguel Cotto, Malignaggi dethroned former IBF super lightweight champion Lovemore N’dou.

Roughly five years later, Malignaggi began his second championship reign following his ninth-round stoppage win over former WBA welterweight titleholder Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Although those championship runs rank near the top of Malignaggi’s pugilistic career, he believes with the proliferation of world titles in today’s day and age, that once rare accomplishment has lost its luster.

“Now, you’re making secondary belts of the same sanctioning body belt,” said Malignaggi on Paulie TV. “You’ve got the supertitle with the WBA and the Regular title but you never see those two guys fighting each other. At one time, there would’ve been a demand for the number one and two guys fighting each other, and they would’ve wanted the fight, or at least the guy with no belt would’ve wanted the fight.

“Now, in the everybody gets a belt generation, everybody just says ‘hey you know what? I don’t have to fight him. I can just parade myself on the network that I fight for as a world champion and the network that I fight for will call me a world champion.”

To further expound on his point, Malignaggi looks at Gervonta Davis as a prime example of the mendacious characteristics associated with the sport of boxing.

“Case in point, Showtime calling Gervonta Davis a three-division world champion. Even though he has never won a world title at 135 pounds and he has never won a world title at 140 pounds. He has been a champion at 130 pounds.”

Davis, 27, has spent the past several years of his career competing in numerous weight classes. Following his seventh-round stoppage win over Jose Pedraza in 2017, Davis successfully wrapped the IBF 130 pound title around his waist.

However, since then, Davis has failed to compete for a full-fledged title. In December of 2019, Davis scored a 12th round stoppage victory over long-faded former champion Yuriokis Gamboa. In the process, Davis claimed the vacant WBA “Regular” 135 pound title.

In 2021, Davis brazenly took on former WBA “Regular” champion Mario Barrios at 140 pounds. Despite struggling early on, Davis managed to find the fight-ending blow in the 11th. As a result, Davis once again captured a secondary world title.

Although Davis is constantly referred to as a multiple-division champion, Malignaggi shakes his head in disgust. While the former two-division champion has the utmost respect for Davis and his overall skill set, he adamantly disagrees with anyone who believes he’s a multiple-division champion.

“This does not take away from the fact that he is a very good fighter but he is not and never has been a world champion in multiple weight classes.”

Posted on 01/19/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Like most of the boxing world, head trainer Calvin Ford finds a showdown between Gervonta Davis, the multiple division titlist he’s trained for well over a decade, and Vasiliy Lomachenko, a very intriguing bout.

Although Davis has moved up and down in weight over the past few years, the Baltimore native appears to be placing his flag at 135 pounds permanently. Following an 11th round stoppage win over Mario Barrios in June of 2021 at 140 pounds, Davis returned to the lightweight division to defend his secondary WBA title against Isaac Cruz.

In what turned out to be a difficult, back and forth battle, Davis ultimately prevailed, winning a close unanimous decision. With the boxing calendars of Davis and Lomachenko currently wide open, Ford is anxiously waiting for a showdown between the pair to materialize.

“We waiting on that fight,” said Ford during an interview with ESNEWS. “We waiting on that fight.”

Lomachenko, 33, has successfully worked his way back up the 135 pound ladder after suffering a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Teofimo Lopez in 2020. The former two-time Olympic gold medalist systemically broke down highly ranked contender Masayoshi Nakatani, stopping him in the ninth round of their June 2021, showdown.

Six months later, Lomachenko continued his relentless comeback story. In front of a fairly packed crowd in Madison Square Garden, the Ukrainian star toyed with former titleholder Richard Commey. Lomachenko scored a knockdown in the seventh round and spent the rest of their contest carefully dissecting his man to win a wide unanimous decision.

Presently, Lomachenko is hopeful that he’ll land a showdown against unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. next. If the newly crowned Australian champion opts to face someone else, Ford urges the pound-for-pound star to look in the direction of Davis. If both teams are ultimately able to hammer out a deal, Ford believes that their contest would make everyone in the boxing community smile from ear to ear.

“It’s going to be a chess match. That’s like a mega-fight, a fight that people been waiting on.”

Posted on 01/04/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Isaac Cruz couldn’t help but laugh.

The highly ranked 135-pound contender was given virtually no chance heading into his showdown against Gervonta Davis on December 5th, late last year. Despite going undefeated in his previous 18 trips to the ring, the Mexican native was widely expected to become another knockout victim. However, regardless of those sentiments, Cruz gave Davis everything he could handle.

For the first time in the career of the hard-hitting multiple division titlist, he was forced to go the full 12 round distance. Still, while he ultimately eked out the close unanimous decision victory, Cruz has implored Davis to face him once more.

In spite of the somewhat controversial outcome, team Davis has already ruled out a possible rematch between the pair. Considering how Cruz was viewed before their contest took place, the Mexican native is in total disbelief as he believes Davis will do anything in his power to avoid facing him for a second time.

“It’s crazy,” said Cruz to a group of reporters. “How did I go from somebody he didn’t know at 135 to someone that he wants to avoid at all costs for a rematch. It’s absolutely astounding.”

Shortly after their contest, Davis, 27, revealed that he injured his left hand in the sixth round, essentially leaving him a one-handed fighter for the majority of their showdown. Yet, regardless of his physical ailment, team Davis believes there is absolutely no need for a rematch.

Although Cruz would love nothing more than to redeem himself, the 23-year-old appears ready to move on. With his star power reaching an all-time high, he hopes to land marquee matchups against the division’s other prominent names. Most notably, Ryan Garcia. With the flamboyant young star daring Cruz to face him next, the Mexican product will have a plethora of options for his next ring appearance.

Posted on 12/27/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Vasiliy Lomachenko has never been interested in taking the easy route. But the former multiple division titlist can’t say the same for Gervonta Davis.

Following back-to-back runs in the Olympics that resulted in twin gold medals, Lomachenko immediately made the move to turn pro. While he would come up just short in his first bid to win a world title in only his second pro fight, Lomachenko would begin his championship reign after his third professional contest in the ring.

Although the Ukrainian star has continued to take on all comers, he’s taken notice as Gervonta Davis, his long-time rival, has done what he believes is the exact opposite. Even with the hard-hitting Baltimore native scoring knockout victories over both Leo Santa Cruz and Mario Barrios before eking out a close decision win over Isaac Cruz, Lomachenko is unwilling to give Davis much credit. In the pound-for-pound star’s opinion, Mayweather Promotions have placed the pugnacious Davis in the sort of bouts that will allow him to shine as opposed to truly test him.

“They only fight with guys who they believe they can win this fight,” said Lomachenko to a group of reporters. “They pair their boxers with opponents that they believe their boxers can win.”

With Lomachenko fully convinced that team Davis will only place him in favorable matchups, the Ukrainian isn’t holding his breath in terms of a showdown between them materializing.

After defeating the likes of Nicholas Walters, Jorge Linares, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and Luke Campbell – Lomachenko garnered reputation as the sport’s number one pound for pound fighter. While Teofimo Lopez would ultimately knock some of the luster off his name, thanks to a unanimous decision victory which subsequently stripped Lomachenko of his lightweight titles, thanks to back-to-back lopsided victories, he’s regained most of his standing.

Presently, the goal for Lomachenko is to win all four world titles at 135 pounds. And while Davis isn’t currently a titleholder in the lightweight division, Lomachenko continues to express a desire to face whom many consider to be boxing’s biggest puncher. However, as the slick-hitting southpaw relentlessly works on his craft, he’s fairly confident that team Davis is uninterested in sliding a contract across his desk.

“I always said I’m open for the fight but you know boxing politics. They know that I have real skills.”

Posted on 12/17/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Vasiliy Lomachenko’s fall from grace was both short-lived and highly exaggerated.

After suffering defeat at the hands of Teofimo Lopez late last year which resulted in the Ukrainian losing his WBA, WBO, and WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles, Lomachenko fell from his normally high placement on virtually every pound-for-pound list. But while the multiple division titlist has seen his reputation take a hit, he’s seemingly regained some of his luster.

Following back-to-back wins this year over highly ranked contenders Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey, Lomachenko now finds himself near the top of the lightweight mountain. As the 33-year-old has made his feelings known that he would love a showdown against George Kambosos Jr., the man who recently defeated Lopez, Tim Bradley has other ideas.

“We wanna see Tank [Gervonta Davis] vs. Loma,” said Bradley during an interview with BoxingInsider.com.

Bradley’s infatuation with watching Lomachenko and Davis square off was only enhanced after witnessing the hard-hitting Baltimore native just a few weeks ago. Although his opponent, Isaac Cruz, was able to withstand his power and push Davis to a 12 round decision for the first time in his career, Bradley is still confident that the 27-year-old would be arguably Lomachenko’s most difficult fight yet.

“Hell yea that’s a competitive fight,” continued Bradley. “You got Tank who got that punching power and speed and he can box too. Then you got Lomachenko who got the footwork and everything that goes along with him. I wanna see the fight. Tank is dangerous.”

Bradley, a retired former two-division titlist in his own right, has consistently sat back and marveled at the skills of Lomachenko. But, regardless of the reverence he has for the Ukrainian native, Bradley appears to be even more in awe at the total skillset of Davis.

“When do you see a guy with speed and power? You see a guy either have speed, no power. No power, but a little bit of speed. You got a guy with speed and power and skills to go along with it.”

Posted on 12/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

George Kambosos Jr. toured around the United States following his monumental victory over Teofimo Lopez. The Australian native graciously posed for pictures with his new adoring fans, signed autographs, and patiently completed what felt like a perpetual amount of interviews. More importantly, he scouted the competition.

Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Vasiliy Lomachenko have always been judged by fans and media pundits throughout their careers but with all three lightweights fighting in close proximity to one another, there was an added pressure placed on their shoulders.

The need to impress Kambosos Jr. came as a direct result of the Australian pulling off what appeared to be an improbable and unlikely upset.

Kambosos Jr. confidently stomped into the backyard of Lopez as a gargantuan underdog, looked into the booing crowd at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, and broke into a full-blown grin. Pre-fight predictions informing him of an embarrassing stoppage defeat weren’t unnerving. Then, as the opening bell tipped off, the 28-year-old ruthlessly stripped Lopez of his championship status and sullied his previously undefeated record.

With the Australian now in possession of the IBF, WBA, and WBC franchise lightweight titles, he made it clear that his next opponent would be chosen from a small pool of names, all of which were given their moment in the spotlight to present their case.

First up on the tryout board was Devin Haney. The WBC lightweight titlist, who finds himself routinely chastised for the manner in which he was given his title, raised Kambosos Jr.’s eyebrows slightly. While Joseph Diaz, his recent opponent, proved to be a durable and game, Haney thoroughly outboxed his man before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.

As the Aussie removed his blood-stained war helmet and threw on his analytical cap, he was mostly impressed by what he saw.

“It was a good performance,” said Kambosos Jr. during an interview with Sporting News. “It was exactly what I expected. He moved, boxed, and was sharp from the outside.”

Still, even with Haney ostensibly making a good impression on the man who currently holds a seat at the top of the 135-pound food chain, Gervonta Davis was expected to one-up him.

Kambosos Jr. made the short trek from Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and sat comfortably in his ringside seat as he took in the main event. While Haney vs. Diaz allowed Kambosos Jr. to fully dissect 12 rounds of action, in the case of Davis vs. Isaac Cruz, it felt as though the Australian wouldn’t be afforded that same courtesy.

Yet, even with most of the boxing world predicting a short and explosive win for Davis, Cruz proved to be far more durable, lasting the full 12 rounds and giving Davis the most difficult contest of his career. He was, however, aided by a severely injured left hand of Davis.

As the Baltimore native turned in his report and awaited his grade from Kambosos Jr., the newly crowned unified titlist appeared a bit indifferent. In fact, when asked to juxtapose both performances, Kambosos Jr. gave the clear edge to Haney

“Nothing too exciting,” continued Kambosos Jr. in reference to Davis during an interview with FightHype.com. “It is what it is. He got the win. I had it very, very close, it could’ve been a draw but he edged it. I think Haney had the better performance.”

With Haney turning in the better showing, the 23-year-old appeared to have the clear path to a showdown against Kambosos Jr. But just as Haney began confidently making his way to the front of the line, Vasiliy Lomachenko has grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

Despite losing those same world titles that occupy the waist of Kambosos Jr. at the hands of Teofimo Lopez late last year, Lomachenko is now back on the radar of every top 135 pounder. After undergoing shoulder surgery subsequently after his defeat, the Ukrainian star looks better than ever. He effortlessly dealt with Masayoshi Nakatani earlier this year, stopping him in the ninth round. He would then follow that up with a one-sided beating over former titlist Richard Commey this past weekend at Madison Square Garden.

Now, after reestablishing himself, even Kambosos Jr. had no choice but to acknowledge the Ukrainian’s performance.

“Great boxing display by Loma which puts him in the equation with Haney, Tank & Ryan (Garcia), even after his loss against Teofimo,” said Kambosos Jr. after watching Lomachenko dismantle Commey. “Looking forward to fighting one of these fellow warriors in 2022 downunder.”

Even with the unified titlist admitting that Ryan Garcia is still firmly entrenched in the Kambosos Jr. sweepstakes, he appears to be in the back of the class. Having fought just once for the entirety of 2021, Garcia will likely have to sit and wait as Kambosos Jr. chooses who he deems as the best fighter amongst that group.

With Davis eking out a close decision over Cruz, Kambosos Jr. has seemingly placed him above Garcia but behind both Haney and Lomachenko. As for who exactly impressed/earned their shot at Kambosos Jr., the most, Lomachenko appears to have the edge. While a matchup against Davis could provide the Australian with the most financial incentive, team Davis has always appeared more interested in facing fighters that could bring more to the table in terms of selling out arenas as opposed to chasing world titles.

Could Haney ultimately usurp Lomachenko and make his way to a jam-packed Australian-filled arena to fight for undisputed glory? Of course, he could. But, considering that Lomachenko has regained his lofty pound-for-pound status and the manner in which he dealt with a normally pernicious puncher in Commey, the former two-time gold medalist and multiple division star could have a leg up on the competition.

Posted on 12/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Despite the long list of knockouts and the undeniable drawing power of Gervonta Davis, Eddie Hearn believes his recent competition leaves much to be desired. The former three-division star is coming off the most grueling performance of his career this past Sunday night against Mexican native Isaac Cruz. While Davis would emerge victorious, for only the second time in his career, he was unable to stop his opponent before the sound of the final bell.

As Hearn continues to dissect the level of opposition Davis has faced, he can’t help but be critical.

“I think Tank is a brilliant fighter, brilliant,” said Hearn during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “But his resume is really poor.”

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, the promotional banner which Davis fights under, has long expressed his displeasure with Hearn. Recently, Leonard’s disdain for Hearn reached its crescendo as he threatened to “knock Hearn the f*ck out” if they came within the same vicinity.

Hearn, of course, acknowledges the long-standing feud he’s shared with Ellerbe. That said, Hearn has tipped his cap to his promotional rival on the job they’ve done with Davis while simultaneously criticizing their team for failing to put Davis in the ring with the likes of Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

“Obviously I always go back and forth with Leonard but I can’t give these guys enough props. They’ve done a great job for him. He’s a star. But, if you want to just box in-house guys, you can’t be a great. What about [George] Kambosos? What about Lomachenko? What about Devin Haney? That’s what makes you a great.”

Following an explosive win over Mario Barrios earlier this year, Davis successfully claimed a world title in his third division. At the time, Davis held the WBA’s secondary title at 130, 135, and 140 pounds all at once. Regardless of his achievements, fans have continued to clamor for Davis to step into the ring against his contemporaries. However, Floyd Mayweather made his feelings clear that Davis will only face the names associated with Mayweather Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions.

“We work smarter not harder,” said Mayweather following the 11th round stoppage win for Davis over Barrios. “We keep everything in-house. Mayweather Promotions, PBC, I mean, we all one family. We’re not about to go and make another company great. We got plenty of fighters that’s at 140, 135, and 130. We’re going to continue to fight the fighters that we got to fight.”

Time and time again, Hearn has publicly voiced his interest in matching up Davis against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney. Still, while Hearn isn’t overly concerned with the career trajectory of Davis, the long-time promoter is steadfast in his belief that until the Baltimore native steps outside of his comfort zone and faces someone outside of the Mayweather Promotions banner, his path to greatness will be convoluted.

“Tell me a fight for Tank in-house, that will make him a great? If you want to just box in-house guys, you can’t be a great.”

Posted on 12/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Since stomping into the backyard of Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater and mercilessly ripping away Lopez’s IBF, WBO, WBA, and WBC franchise titles, George Kambosos Jr. has continued to scout the competition in search of his next opponent.

With several names near the top of the lightweight division entering the ring over the past few weeks, the 28-year-old has been spotted sitting front row in numerous arenas. On back-to-back nights, both WBC 135 pound titlist Devin Haney, and WBA “Regular” champion Gervonta Davis, defended their crowns. However, while both were ultimately victorious, Kambosos Jr. was impressed by only one of his possible future opponents.

“I think Haney had the better performance,” said Kambosos Jr. recently to a group of reporters.

Haney, 23, fought whom many considered to be his toughest opponent to date in Joseph Diaz on December 4th, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Diaz had his moments, Haney would go on to systemically break him down before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.

One day later, Kambosos Jr. was spotted in attendance at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Aussie product nestled comfortably into his chair as he took in the sights of the main event.

On the night, Davis, while successful in his defense of his secondary title, was given all he could handle against Isaac Cruz. Known for his ability to end contests in the blink of an eye and overwhelm his opponents, Kambosos Jr. was left disappointed by the Baltimore native’s performance. In fact, the newly minted 135-pound titlist gave Cruz a standing ovation for his tenacity and doggedness.

“Nothing too exciting,” continued Kambosos Jr. in reference to Davis. “It is what it is. He got the win. I had it very, very close, it could’ve been a draw but he edged it. Big respect to Isaac Cruz. He excited me, he’s a warrior.”

Cruz, 23, left a pro-Davis crowd speechless with his relentless pressure and unwillingness to fold underneath the power of his man. While he fought Davis on mostly even terms, the multiple division titlist revealed that Cruz’s ability to last 12 full rounds, was in part due to a severely injured left hand.

At the moment, Kambosos Jr. has yet to disclose whom he’ll defend his lightweight titles against next. And while Haney is presumably in the driver’s seat, Kambosos Jr. isn’t ruling out a possible showdown against Davis.

“That fight might be there, we’ll see.”