The collapse of Gervonta Davis’ involvement in a planned November 14 exhibition against Jake Paul opens a Pandora’s box of possibilities for Paul to consider for a fight by year’s end.
On Monday’s edition of ProBox TV’s “BoxingScene Today,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi discussed the candidates on the table for the YouTuber and top 15 ranked WBA cruiserweight.
“I didn’t care for this fight. It was sideshow-esque,” Malignaggi said of Davis, the unbeaten WBA lightweight champion who was yanked from the card following a civil lawsuit filed against him in Miami by a woman alleging he roughed her up at a nightclub.
Malignaggi – a former two-division titlist - emphasized the point that Paul and his staff at Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) knew whom they were dealing with when he chose to fight Davis.
The unbeaten three-division titleholder carries an impressive social-media and live-gate audience thanks to his penchant for the knockout and rugged exterior.
“This was known in the past,” Malignaggi said of Davis’ prior involvement in domestic violence episodes. “It regurgitated as a civil lawsuit. I don’t like the kid losing out on [the exhibition purse for a bout that was to be streamed by Netflix] but it was based on something that has already happened.”
In addition to a domestic violence case that was dropped earlier this year after compromising Davis’ planned August rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr, the three-division champion from Baltimore was previously charged with, and served time for, fleeing a car crash in which a pregnant woman was injured and left behind.
Malignaggi didn’t follow what others have said about Paul “fixing” his fights, but said he does “stack the deck,” – including taking on the 135lbs champion when he fights at 200 pounds.
An individual familiar with the situation said Paul is targeting a heavyweight and he’s spent some time following the Davis removal jostling with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on social media.
Malignaggi said a heavyweight like Ngannou or former two-time boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua “might be too dangerous” as Paul continues his Quixotic boxing pursuit, eyeing big names like Canelo Alvarez or Ryan Garcia.
“Jake is in prospect mode,” Malignaggi said of the 12-1 fighter.
Paul has defeated the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr and MMA fighters Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. His lone defeat came to Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
“Why match a prospect with a puncher? It takes three years to build a prospect, and three seconds to ruin one,” Malignaggi said. “I don’t see a puncher getting a call from Jake … ever.”
In addition to the stance of promoter Oscar De La Hoya that Paul cannot fight his popular welterweight contender Ryan Garcia because Garcia is obligated to fight for DAZN, Malignaggi said it’s too limiting to press for a December bout against Garcia when more time for marketing would make the event spiral upward in value.
“It’d be a waste to use Ryan as a last-minute replacement,” said Malignaggi, who added that BoxingScene mentioning former two-division champion Andre Ward and new five-division champion Terence Crawford as Paul opponents is nothing more than “clickbait.”
He did admit Ward “teases [a comeback] enough… he’s in the gym, it’s not far-fetched.”
Malignaggi said Paul may opt for a lesser name as he did previously when scolded for not fighting a professional boxer.
The expectation, however, is likely to maximize the revenue.
“It’s all about the benjamins,” he said.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.
