Gervonta Davis (27-0.25 KOs) made Rolando Romero pay for his trash talk with brutal sixth round knockouton Saturday night.
‘Tank’ had to wait another six months to silence its opponent after their December match was canceled due to legal issues, but made the most of the opportunity when it finally did. was featured, defending his WBA “Regular” lightweight belt in the process.
It’s a return to form for the Baltimore native, who has been expanded like never before in a The duel was harder than expected with Isaac Cruzwhich Davis won by unanimous decision, last year.
The win over ‘kt Rolly’ was the final bout of Davis’ contract with Mayweather Promotions. ‘The Tank’ has stated that he is likely to go on, declaring ahead of the clash with Romero: “I feel as if it’s my career, so I need to be the one in control of the game. his career.” However, Davis appears to have changed his mind, declaring in his post-fight press conference: “Still a Mayweather promotion, honey.”
Davis’ decision to resign or not will have a serious impact on his career trajectory. When he was dressed in a Floyd Mayweather promotional outfit, Davis fought almost exclusively with fighters affiliated with the Premier Boxing Champion. Up until now, PBC has always kept quiet about working with other promoters. The PBC list at 135lbs is a bit light at the moment, and before that Davis was up against two of the best boxers in their ranks; in Cruz and Romero.
The 27-year-old is likely to extend his contract with Mayweather Promotions, but a single line in the press conference is not an official announcement. For now, consider Davis as Schrödinger’s Boxer, also under an advertising contract and a free agent.
Here are the five best options available for Davis to face next:
George Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOS)
Undisputed reigning lightweight world champion. Is that statement read as oxymoronic? Well, welcome to the world of professional boxing. Last November, the Australian shocked Teofimo Lopez by winning the IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC Franchise titles. One of these is not like the others.
WBC somehow conspired to complicate the complicated title scene with the introduction of its Franchise bracelet. The World WBC title belongs to Devin Haney. Confused? You should. When Lopez defeated Vasyl Lomachenko to win the aforementioned titles, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, declared that Lopez was the undisputed champion, while also referring to Haney as a world champion – gymnastics The human mind is capable of performing when there is a penalty fee. incredible.
Anyway, this Sunday we’ll finally see clarity in the murky waters of the 135lbs division as Kambosos faces Haney for the crown undisputed champion, hallelujah! Haney is the house favorite, but is contractually obligated to rematch ‘Ferocious’ if he succeeds, which will prevent him from facing Davis next. However, if Kambosos can turn the odds upside down again, there’s no red tape banning him from competing with ‘The Tank’.
Yes, it would be a dangerous match for Aussie, but if he had already defeated two of the new ‘Four Emperors’ (who obviously didn’t fight each other) then he probably wouldn’t have feared Davis, especially given the amount of money a war of that degree would generate.
Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs)
Arguably, the most lucrative fight was for Davis. Garcia is a polarizing figure in the crowd of middle-aged boxing fans. Some see him as more stylish than substance; an exaggerated pretender whose protected status exceeds that of giant pandas. Others see ‘KingRy’ as an exciting prospect that, although flawed, still has plenty of room for improvement. No matter which camp you fall into, what you can’t deny is that Garcia is very popular.
Garcia’s fan base will translate into strong pay-per-view sales. Garcia was ready to witness Davis’ devastating end to the war, and $20,000 lighter left after betting on Romero to win With the uniform weight champion, Errol Spence Jr. I’ll get the Tank, he’s prepared for the whole fight I’m next so leave it as it is.. December, catch it. ” Business” Garcia to take care of is Javier Fortunawho represents a test for ‘KingRy’ but one that he is expected to pass.
There’s no barrier, then, to a clash between the two tough lightweights, especially if Davis doesn’t have a promotional relationship. Of course, there’s also the possibility that this will be reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, who spent years calling each other out, before finally going head to head when they were past their respective primes. The risk-to-reward ratio might be right for Davis in this.
Vasyl Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs)
Signing up with the Top Rated would mean a lot to Davis. Bob Arum’s outfit will co-promote the undisputed lightweight champion, regardless of the winner this weekend. Josh Taylor, a 3/4 super light title holder who also fights under the Top Rs banner, thinks Davis previously dipped his toe in 140lbs water to stop Mario Barrios in round 11, it could have been an intriguing future alternative to ‘Tanks’.
Unified featherweight super champion Shakur Stevenson looks set to move into lightweight. A clash between Davis and Stevenson could be the biggest one in the sport in 18 months, and given Arum’s preference for wars to be over, it’s highly unlikely that the next one will come, even if he has Davis under contract. Teofimo Lopez would be another option, but he hasn’t returned to the ring since a surprise loss at the hands of Kambosos, which is another matchup that will have time to develop.
With that said before, Haney is expected to beat the Australian and be forced to give the Kambosos an immediate rematch if he succeeds, which makes it unlikely Davis will face Haney this year. . If, and it is a if, Davis signed with Top Rank, the first logical match would be against Vasyl Lomachenko. ‘The Matrix’ is a three-weight world champion with dazzling skills, but it seems that Lopez’s strengths are different when they meet in 2020. That factor could give Davis the edge in a showdown. potential clash as his combination of heavy hand and perfect timing has proven to be devastating.
A cautious Lomachenko denies much of what makes him great. The Ukrainian has shown a willingness to take on the best fighters available since his second bout, when he challenged for the WBO featherweight title and won’t be able to dodge the all-men’s showdown with Davis. If the fight turns out to be, it will give ‘The Tank’ the chance to win over a man who was popularly ranked in the top five of the pound’s heaviest lists less than two years ago. Davis frequently faces criticism for the level of opposition he has fought, but victory over Lomachenko should silence the doubters.
Rolando Romero (14-1, 12 KOs)
Well, the first match was clearly over. No, the second fight is unnecessary. However, this is boxing; a sport with a long history of needless rematches. Romero began the campaign for a chance to avenge his defeat immediately, saying in his post-match press conference: “I won all six rounds. I won every moment of that fight. I unmasked him and we need to undo it. “
How you win a round where you’re badly knocked down and deemed unfit to continue, I’ll never know. Given that some famous boxers believe the earth is flat or that Bill Gates microchipped most of the population through a Covid-19 vaccine, that’s not the most ridiculous thing a boxer has said this year. . I guess, he did his own research. The fact that they sold out of the Barclays Center is testament to the interest the game has generated.
Does the nature of the first fight, if intense, entice people to watch it again? Probably not, but I doubt there will always be a market for watching ‘kt Rolly’ get disqualified. Romero plays the bad guy brilliantly, and regardless of whether everyone is there to cheer you on or to pray for you to be stopped, they pay the same price. If ‘The Tank’ resigns with Mayweather Promotion, a rematch could be possible, especially if Romero’s disinformation campaign is successful.
Isaac Cruz (23-2-1, 16 KOs)
Cruz increased his reputation exponentially with an impressive performance against Davis, despite losing by unanimous decision. The fight was competitive, but the right person won and, for a change, the scorecards were fair. Still, Cruz dropped punches at Davis with more regularity than anyone before. Davis was thwarted by a damaged left hand that forced him to complete six laps using only his right. Cruz continued to build momentum in the next game when he blocked Yuriorkis Gamboa for five rounds, rival Davis had previously stopped in the 12th round.
‘Pitbull’ will likely believe he has improved and want a chance in the rematch. In contrast, ‘The Tank’, unhurt, will confidently take the knockout ticket that had already bypassed him in their first fight. If Davis resigns with Mayweather Promotions and the policy of matching ‘Tanks’ with PBC fighters continues, then Cruz is likely the best option available. Jose Valenzuela is a fast-rising PBC lightweight, but that fight could be significantly bigger in a year’s time, especially if ‘Rayo’ can win over someone like Rolando Romero in the meantime. wait.
