Gervonta Davis could be on her way to the top of the list in pounds.
That fate seemed more likely than ever after he knocked out the previously undefeated Ryan Garcia in the seventh round in their 136-pound bout Saturday night in Las Vegas. Davis overcame his opponent and then spectacularly finished him, the result of a single body shot.
But did the performance lift Davis – number 10 coming into the match – higher on the Boxing Junkie weight list?
Are not. We will explain why.
Davis fans might say, “Hey, wait a minute? You put Shakur Stevenson on the list after the match against Shuichiro Yoshino on April 8, who is clearly not as good or as accomplished as Garcia.”
THAT’S RIGHT. But Stevenson overtook Vasiliy Lomachenko, a 35-year-old boxer who many felt was beginning to decline, and Artur Beterbiev, a 38-year-old boxer who was still formidable but clearly not a boxer like Stevenson. .
The two boxers sitting directly above Davis are No. 8 Canelo Alvarez and No. 9 Jermell Charlo. We didn’t feel the victory over the talented player, but the relatively unchallenged Garcia was enough to put Davis ahead of fighters of the caliber of Alvarez and Charlo.
Davis will have to beat a weight competitor or watch those above him fall to climb to the top of the list. And that time could come soon, as he has his sights set on 135-pound opponents, No. 11 Lomachenko, No. 13 Stevenson and No. 15 Devin Haney, the undisputed champion.
Many believe Davis is the leading contender for the No. 1 spot. He just needs better opponents and time.
Next weight fight: Alvarez is expected to defend his undisputed 168-pound weight championship against John Ryder in a pay-per-view match on May 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:
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POUND-FOR-POUND
- Terence Crawford – Reportedly re-entered negotiations to face No. 4 Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed 147-pound championship but agreement was reached.
- Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to challenge 122-pound owner and Honoree Stephen Fulton Jr. on July 25 in Tokyo.
- Oleksandr Usyk – Said to be in talks to defend his three heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois but nothing has come out of the talks.
- Errol Spence Jr. – Reportedly re-entered talks to face No. 1 Terence Crawford for the undisputed 147-pound championship but an agreement was reached..
- Dmitri Bivol – Expected to defend his 175th title against Canelo Alvarez in a rematch in September but no deal has been reached..
- Tyson’s Rage – Reportedly considering defending the title against former champion Andy Ruiz Jr. or Zhilei Zhang in July.
- Juan Francisco Estrada – No scheduled wars.
- Canelo Alvarez– Was scheduled to defend his undisputed 168-pound championship against John Ryder on May 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
- Jermell Charlo – Was expected to defend his undisputed 154-pound weightlifting championship against top contender Tim Tszyu this summer but no deal has been struck.
- Gervonta Davis – No scheduled wars.
- Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to challenge undisputed 135-pound champion and No. 15 Devin Haney on May 20 in Las Vegas.
- Artur Betterbiev – The WBC ordered the three-belt champion to defend his title against Callum Smith but it is unclear if there will be a movement in that direction.
- Shakur Stevenson – No scheduled wars.
- Roman Gonzalez – There are no scheduled wars.
- Devin Haney – Scheduled to defend his undisputed 135 pound weight class title against 11 Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20 in Las Vegas..
honorable mention (alphabetically): David Benavidez (no battle schedule); Jermall Charlo (no battle schedule); Stephen Fulton Jr. (scheduled to defend her 122-pound title against Naoya Inoue No. 2 on July 25 in Tokyo); Kazuto Ioka (allegedly scheduled to challenge 115-pound owner Joshua Franco on June 24 in Japan but no announcement has been made yet); Josh Taylor (scheduled to defend the 140-pound WBO belt against Teofimo Lopez on June 10 in New York).
