Legendary trainer-turned-analyst Teddy Atlas has shared his latest thoughts on the upcoming match-up between Gervonta Davis and Jake Paul.
Reigning WBA lightweight champion ‘Tank’ Davis is set to take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in a scheduled ten round exhibition clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Friday November 14.
It was revealed by MVP Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian at the launch press conference last month that the bout would have a maximum weight limit of 195lbs in place for both fighters, a decision that has sparked a heated debate amongst the boxing community.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel THE FIGHT, Atlas admitted that he is giving Davis a ‘better chance’ of defeating Paul when they cross paths next month, although he does still give ‘The Problem Child’ a chance to knock out Davis.
“He might need a ladder to do it, but Tank hits him on the chin, don’t overlook it; he’s a good puncher. I know he’s at his best as a 135-pound fighter; no one needs to explain that to me. And I know he’s not a big guy in terms of height to begin with. But if he can punch and has good technique, and he were to land, would I be shocked and is it possible that Tank Davis, a world-caliber fighter and puncher, could knock out a guy that much bigger? Yes, he could. That can happen.
Now, could the bigger guy knock him out? Anyone can knock out anyone if they hit them right, so the answer is yes. But in my world, it’s not about whether you have the power to knock a guy out. It’s about, do you have the technique? Do you have the expertise? Do you have the delivery system to do it? And that’s how I would answer it.
“The smaller guy probably has a better chance here because the bigger guy, with his power and size, has worked hard to become the best he can be. But he still isn’t at the level of expertise to land the kind of punch cleanly that he would need to, even on a smaller fighter of this level of expertise.”
Whilst the controversial exhibition bout between Davis and Paul has captured the attention of many around the world, the reality is that ‘Tank’ could be taking a big risk when he steps into the ring against his countryman next month, a man who stands at eight inches taller than him and weighs in at a whopping 60 pounds heavier than him on average.
