By: Hans Themistode
Despite Gervonta Davis’ long knockout list and undeniable charisma, Eddie Hearn believes his recent contest leaves much to be desired. The former third-place star will give the most grueling performance of his career on Sunday night against Mexican-born Isaac Cruz. While Davis would win, for the second time in his career, he failed to stop his opponent before the final bell rang.
As Hearn continued to dissect the level of opposition Davis faced, he couldn’t help but criticize.
Hearn said in an interview with Fight Hub TV: “I think Tank is a great fighter, very brilliant. “But his background is really poor.”
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, the advertising banner Davis fights, has long expressed displeasure with Hearn. Recently, Leonard’s disdain for Hearn came to a head when he threatened to “knock out Hearn the f*ck out” if they came in the same vicinity.
Of course, Hearn acknowledged the age-old feud he shared with Ellerbe. That said, Hearn took his hat off to his advertising rival for the work they’ve done with Davis while simultaneously criticizing their team for not getting Davis into the ring with the likes of Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
“Obviously I go back and forth with Leonard all the time, but I can’t give these guys enough props. They did a great job for him. He is a star. But, if you want to just box the people in the house, you can’t be a great person. What about [George] Kambosos? What about Lomachenko? What about Devin Haney? That’s what makes you great.”
After an explosive victory over Mario Barrios earlier this year, Davis successfully secured his third-division world championship title. At the time, Davis held the WBA minor belt in the 130, 135, and 140 pound divisions at the same time. Despite his achievements, fans continue to stir the desire for Davis to step into the ring compared to his contemporaries. However, Floyd Mayweather has made it clear that Davis will only be up against the names associated with Mayweather Promoted and Top Boxing Champion.
“We work smarter, not harder,” Mayweather said after the 11th round win for Davis over Barrios. “We keep everything in the house. I mean Mayweather Promotion, PBC, we’re all a family. We are not going to go and make another company great. We have a lot of fighters at the age of 140, 135 and 130. We will continue to fight the fighters that we have to fight. ”
Time and again, Hearn has publicly expressed interest in battling Davis against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney. Still, while Hearn wasn’t overly concerned about Davis’ career path, the longtime promoter remained steadfast in his conviction that it wasn’t until the Baltimore native stepped outside of his comfort zone and faced the odds. someone outside of the Mayweather Promotions banner, his path to greatness will be complicated.
“Tell me a match for Tank in the house, will that make him great? If you just want to box the boys in the house, you can’t be a great person.”
