By: Sean Crose
At that time, he was 23 years old and had a record of 25 wins and no losses. He is a former Olympic athlete, talented, handsome, and possesses that rare trait known as the “it factor.” Yet “Sugar” Ray Leonard has not really proven himself on the professional rankings. To do that, Leonard would have to defeat 38-0-1 Wilfred Benitez, who less than four years earlier had become the youngest world champion in history when he defeated rookie Antonio Cervantes. seventeen.
Suffice it to say, Leonard-Benítez fought quite well. These were two true tacticians battling it out in the ring – until Leonard showed the world the fight-ending punch he had in his arsenal by stopping Benavidez in the final seconds of the round fifteen and final round. Then, after lifting the WBC welterweight championship from Benítez’s shoulders, Leonard went on to have one of the most decorated careers in the entire history of the sport of boxing. Last Saturday night in Las Vegas, more than forty years after Leonard entered the realm of greatness, Gervonta “Tank” Davis did the same when he brutally knocked out Frank Martin in the 8th round of their fight. their WBA lightweight title.
However, while impressive, Davis still hasn’t reached the level that Leonard achieved decades earlier when he spectacularly defeated Benavidez. Why? Because Martin, no matter how good, is simply not on the same level as Benavidez. Indeed, no opponent of Davis was like that. And until he can defeat someone who is generally considered his equal in the ring, Davis will remain on this side of greatness. One suspects, however, as Davis is about to ascend to the stratosphere – provided he defeats one of the top names in his general pound-for-pound division.
For now, Vasyl Lomachenko appears to be the man Davis will have to fight to reach legitimate greatness status. Lomachenko may have gone a bit overboard, but the man earned his place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame after his retirement. Furthermore, the old wolf still had a serious bite. In other words, a fight with Lomachenko would otherwise guarantee a victory for Davis. Nor was the fight with the extremely skilled Shakur Stevenson. The potential match between these two men is currently a question that needs an answer. Hopefully that answer will come sooner rather than later, as both fighters are on the verge of becoming great fighters – and greatness can be achieved by fighting and defeating the other.
Simply put, now is the time for the seemingly excellent Davis to try to prove that he is as good as he seems.
