Any argument against calling two-time junior lightweight champion Gervonta Davis one of boxing's brightest future stars is only fueled by the idea that he might already be one.
A native of Baltimore, Davis (22-0, 21 KOs) has become both a consistent box office draw and a proven cable television attraction thanks to his ferocious style and devastating left hand. At 25, he has also connected deeply with a younger and more urban audience through his large presence on social media.
Although "Tank" has been unable to consistently draw the biggest names around his division into the ring against him, those around him at Mayweather Promotions and Showtime have succeeded in building the foundation of his marketability first, which is something that's expected to be on full display in Davis' return on Saturday.
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In the first world title bout to be staged in Atlanta since Evander Holyfield defended his heavyweight strap against Vaughn Bean in 1998, Davis will be the headlining attraction when he moves up to 135 pounds to face Cuban Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa at State Farm Arena for a vacant "regular" WBA title (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET).
The showcase offers Davis a chance to extend his tremendous momentum in 2019 against a name opponent after a pair of sensational early knockouts against Hugo Ruiz in February and Ricardo Nunez in his July homecoming in front of a sold-out Royal Farms Arena crowd.
"[Fans] want to see knockouts and that's what 'Tank' believes in, and when he comes to the ring, his sole mentality is, 'I'm not going to play with you if you don't belong in there with me,'" Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said. "With him, he's going to run you out of that ring and the fans have gravitated to that style, and it's a very entertaining style and it's very reminiscent of the Mike Tyson era.
"When you came into the arena and you were coming to see a Mike Tyson or Gervonta Davis, you couldn't get up out of your seat to go to the restroom or go get some popcorn and a drink, because the fight might be over."
Gamboa, a former unified featherweight champion, certainly isn't the same version of himself at 38 that was considered as recently as 2011 as one of the sport's pound-for-pound best. But "The Cyclone of Guantanamo" has retained his trademark speed and enters this weekend a resurgent 7-1 since a 2014 lightweight title loss to Terence Crawford.
The brightest moment of Gamboa's turnaround was undoubtedly his demolition of former world champion Roman Martinez in July on the undercard of Davis-Nunez.
"Gervonta knocking his opponents out and not going past the ninth round is great for him, but I don't think it has anything to do with my resume," Gamboa said. "I've faced stronger fighters than Gervonta and I've been able to beat them. He's not going to bring anything I haven't seen."
Gamboa said he was promised a fight with Davis when he signed with Premier Boxing Champions provided he was able to defeat Martinez. It became a fight that Davis was eager to sign up for given Gamboa's resume and name.
Although Davis hasn't ruled out a return back down to 130 pounds for the right fight, he believes a move up to lightweight will help him be even stronger on Saturday regardless of whether Gamboa looks to box or brawl.
"When I watched the Crawford-Gamboa fight, that's the fight I actually keep watching," Davis said. "Gamboa was touching him up in the beginning of rounds because Crawford was too wide. So, I took that and tried to not be wide, like throwing a lot of round punches.
"But the explosiveness was there and [Crawford] was actually right-handed when Gamboa was touching him up. So once he turned southpaw, then that was a different story. I was learning from his mistakes, just not be wide. But I'm always going to be me in the ring and do what Gervonta Davis does. That's, be explosive, be fast, and if we go 12 rounds, I'm definitely here for it. But I don't see this fight going 12 rounds."
Also on the card are a pair of respected names in the light heavyweight division in Badou Jack and Jean Pascal. Jack will be looking to recapture gold at 175 pounds after dropping his belt to Marcus Browne earlier this year. Pascal, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Browne where he secured the WBA title.
Though he won't be featured on the televised portion of the event, Jose Uzcategui is back in a super middleweight bout against Lionell Thompson. The Venezuelan bounced back from dropping his title to Caleb Plant in January with an easy knockout of Roberto Valdez in September.
Davis vs. Gamboa fight card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Gervonta Davis -1800 | Yuriokis Gamboa +1200 | WBA "regular" lightweight title |
Badou Jack -280 | Jean Pascal (c) +200 | WBA light heavyweight title |
Prediction
Like he did with Crawford five years ago, one can expect Gamboa to have his moments early on and test Davis. Not only does Gamboa still maintain world-class speed, his amateur background is top notch and a recommitment to his training ahead of the Martinez fight has him looking the best he has in years.
Gamboa has enough pop to bother Davis if he's not careful. The problem for Gamboa, however, will likely come in his daring nature and how vulnerable he becomes as soon as the pace of a fight starts to heat up.
Although Davis has talked in recent weeks about being excited to showcase his boxing ability should Gamboa make this into a tactical fight, the reason why "Tank" almost never gets a chance to do so is because he's such a dynamic finisher once he gets his opponents hurt. Gamboa's questionable punch resistance should only make Davis more dangerous in that regard.
Inevitably, Gamboa will enter fight-or-flight mode after being hurt and, true to his history, will be willing to go out on his shield midway through the fight. Davis is too good not to send him there.
Pick: Davis via KO6
