Gervonta Davis has only come up against two men he couldn’t stop inside the distance. He beat them by unanimous decision instead.
The fighters who managed to hear the final bell were German Meraz – a four rounder, ‘Tank’s ninth fight – and, much more recently, Isaac Cruz, with the American injuring his hand at the halfway stage.
All other 28 fighters who have stepped through the ropes with Davis have been subject to knockouts, often delivered with one perfect shot. Some may have been up on the cards, but when ‘Tank’ turns the screw it’s hard to imagine even the most skilled in the sport not running into trouble.
Veteran promoter Bob Arum, however, has identified three men he says will have the beating of the WBA Lightweight World Champion. In an interview with Boxing Scene at the top of the year, he named Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez.
“Tank Davis is an excellent fighter and a big attraction. So sure we’d like to match [Stevenson, Lomachenko, and Lopez] against Tank Davis and see how well they would do. I like our guys to win the fight … All three would beat Davis. I really believe that … but that’s why they do the fights, right? Again, we’re open to any of that.
I think [Davis] is the real deal. That’s why we’re talking about him. He’s a helluva performer. A terrific athlete, and a terrific boxer, but so are the other three [Stevenson, Lomachenko, and Lopez.]”
Until recently the 92-year-old promoted all three, though he recently missed out on re-signing WBC Lightweight World Champion Stevenson who opted instead to link up with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
Arum was in early talks with ‘Tank’s team for a fight with the IBF champ Lomachenko before his man said that, due to a lack of motivation, he would sit the rest of 2024 out. Lopez, also still with Top Rank promotionally, is a champion up at super-lightweight but is expected to soon make the move to welterweight, extending the gap between Davis and making a fight less likely.
Davis is expected to return to the ring later this year but may struggle to find a worthy dance partner.
