Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis has been heavily criticised for taking on WBA super featherweight titlist Lamont Roach instead of the elite operators in his division.
The pair will square off on March 1, headlining an Amazon Prime pay-per-view card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Ahead of their clash, Gervonta Davis comes off two destructive stoppages against Frank Martin and Ryan Garcia, cementing his status as one of the most ferocious punchers in the sport.
And yet, while boxing fans have been clamoring to see him in a unification, the WBA lightweight champion has largely distanced himself from the potential mega fights.
Shawn Porter weighs in on Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach
While ‘Tank’ has already established himself as a household name, his next opponent remains a far cry from achieving super stardom status.
That said, Roach has still claimed several notable scalps at 130 lbs, outpointing Hector Luis Garcia for his title before defending it with an emphatic eighth-round stoppage against Feargal McCrory.
At the same time, though, the 29-year-old has never shared a professional ring with a fighter of Davis’ calibre, let alone someone who possesses the same pulverizing power.
Of course, the pair locked horns as amateurs back in 2011 – with ‘Tank’ emerging victorious – before sharing multiple rounds in sparring.
And while the majority of fans will believe that their upcoming dustup is a foregone conclusion, former world champion and Hall of Fame inductee Shawn Porter has expressed a vastly different view.
“The fact that Lamont Roach is as familiar with Tank Davis as he is – it goes beyond them fighting in the amateurs; they’ve spent time in camp together; he’s been around Tank; he’s seen Tank up close and personal, whether he’s in the ring with him or not – that matters,” Porter told Fight Hub TV.
“When you know a guy’s rhythm, when you know their speed, when you know what they’re thinking… that changes everything.
“Just wait for it. This might be a fight until [Roach] gets hit.”
Will Gervonta Davis rematch Ryan Garcia before he retires?
Davis dropped an almighty bombshell at last week’s press conference, announcing that he plans to retire by the end of 2025.
It is important, however, to take this claim with a pinch of salt, given that other fighters, such as Teofimo Lopez, have performed U-turns on similar declarations in recent years.
But still, ‘Tank’ insists that he will have two more outings after the Roach fight, highlighting a rematch with Garcia as a possible option.
It is somewhat disappointing, though, that Davis has targeted his former victim instead of calling out the remaining champions at 135 lbs.