There was no love lost between WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Rolando "Rolly" Romero in their final public appearance ahead of their 12-round championship boxing match Saturday. Davis puts his belt on the line in a matchup of undefeated fighters to headline the Showtime pay-per-view card from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 9 p.m. ET. The tension between Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) and Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) has risen throughout the week as they insulted each other through the media, and the official weigh-ins Friday culminated in a scuffle as they walked off the scales. Now, they will settle their beef in the boxing ring.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Davis as the -625 favorite (risk $625 to win $100), while Romero is the +450 underdog in the latest Davis vs. Romero odds. The over-under for total rounds completed is 6.5, and there are plenty of other Davis vs. Romero props on the board like if Davis will win by KO, TKO or DQ (-400). Before finalizing any Davis vs. Romero picks, make sure you check out the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Brandon Wise.
Wise, who is the combat sports editor for CBS Sports, is an experienced boxing and mixed martial arts analyst who has consistently provided winning selections for SportsLine members. For the past two years, he has hit numerous boxing selections in big-time matchups.
For instance, last November he predicted a stoppage victory between rounds No. 10 and 12 for Canelo Alvarez against Caleb Plant in their super middleweight unification bout. The proposition selection paid +450, and Wise also correctly called the fight to go over 9.5 rounds (-125) as Alvarez stopped Plant in Round 11. His strong 2021 campaign included calling Jamel Herring (+105) to upset Carl Frampton (-125) for the junior lightweight belt. Anyone who has followed Wise's combat sports picks has seen massive returns.
Now, with Saturday's fight in sight, Wise has studied Davis vs. Romero (see tickets at StubHub) from every angle and identified the best value in the boxing odds. You can only see his confident prop bets and money-line picks at SportsLine.
Davis vs. Romero preview
There were many observers who believed the hostile war of words between the fighters was impacting Davis in the lead-up to his showdown with Romero. At one point, Davis even conceded to the media that his opponent's antics were getting under his skin.
But as the fight approaches, Davis said he's no longer bothered and chalks up Romero's antics as a method of both inspiring himself and selling the fight. He said the verbal warfare will not interfere with his focus in the ring.
"This guy's a clown," Davis said. "I'm one of the ones not to be played with, and it starts with him."
Davis also shrugged off the suggestion that Romero's helter-skelter style was "awkward," and instead attributed Romero's wild approach to inexperience and lack of ring intelligence.
"He's not awkward. We know awkward. Real fighters know awkward fighters. He's not an awkward fighter. He's just a dumb fighter. I'm not trying to be funny," Davis said.
Those who have followed Romero's career know he doesn't lack confidence and, although it's far from unusual for a prize fighter to assert his perceived superiority over an opponent, Romero is still far more persuasive than most.
Although he lacks the big-stage and title-fight experience of Davis, Romero has maintained since the fight was signed that he believes he's the better fighter and will start receiving the recognition he deserves after he scores the upset Saturday night. The brash 26-year-old Las Vegas native also has repeatedly predicted a victory by first-round knockout.
"This feels really good. It's about time he gets in the ring with me. I'm built for this moment and this fight," Romero told the media this week. "Not everyone is built for this. Davis obviously isn't built for this. He can't even say a word. I'm the superstar here. I'm going to go in there and beat him up. That's my only game plan. Make your money betting on me in this fight. We're all going to get rich together."
How to make Davis vs. Romero picks
Wise likes the under 6.5 rounds at a price of -130 in the latest boxing odds. He's also made the call on a method of victory prop and a confident money-line pick. You can only see those selections at SportsLine.
Who wins Davis vs. Romero? And which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise's best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS combat sports specialist who has crushed his boxing picks the last two years, and find out.
