In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on the November 14 exhibition between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Jake Paul.

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Y’all taking shots at Tank, but he's not the real problem. We all know the real problem is y’all. Anyone who continues to support a Jake Paul fight. The “fans.” Probably the same guys that talk big shit about the ladies of the night but continue to be their #1 trick. It’s simple. STOP SUPPORTING JAKE PAUL FIGHTS. I don't give a damn if he's fighting Jesus; don't watch it, whether free or PPV, Netflix or DAZN. DON’T WATCH IT. 

-Rbs3rd

David Greisman’s response: You nailed it. People have been enabling the Jake Paul sideshow from the get-go. And Netflix recognizes the attraction. I don’t know if the streaming service will ever go fully into boxing. Rather, Netflix is putting money into establishing it as a place to go for big events – the Tom Brady roast, occasional NFL games, a few boxing matches with crossover appeal – so that its customers keep their subscriptions active once they’ve finished streaming their favorite shows.

Jake Paul is a huge celebrity. He has people who want to see him fight and he has people who want to see him lose, see him embarrassed, see him proven at last to be someone who could never compete against a truly legitimate cruiserweight opponent.

But as my colleague Eric Raskin noted in his most recent column, Netflix is doing two more boxing matches this year: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford and Davis vs. Paul.

“One fight appeals primarily to boxing fans. One fight appeals primarily to non-boxing fans,” Raskin wrote. “Is there any question which of those two factions is bigger?”

So you might be preaching to the choir here. Yes, there will still be a chunk of boxing fans who tune in to Davis vs. Paul. But they will be vastly outnumbered by the audience who don’t normally watch boxing but will eagerly tune in for this.

GERVONTA DAVIS HAS A PADDED RECORD

Spot on from Paulie Malignaggi with his assessment of Davis and his padded record, babied spoon-fed career (“Paulie Malignaggi’s Picks: We’ve already seen the best of spoilt ‘Tank’ Davis”). Protected that “0” at all cost – though the BS draw with Lamont Roach is a big blemish on that padded record. 

Never could dare to be great, no legacy, and will now be remembered for pathetically taking a knee when it got tough against Roach and then running to his corner because his poor little eyes were stinging from “hair product.” Boo-hoo! Deserved to be loudly booed and humiliated after the fight. 

-IRONCHINHAGLER

David Greisman’s response: I think Gervonta Davis is very talented, and we’ve seen that talent against some good opponents. But we’ve also long learned that fights aren’t won on paper, and so it’s impossible to know for sure just how talented Davis is until we see him in the ring with the other top names from his weight class. And if Jake Paul somehow beats the lightweight Davis, that still won’t have any bearing on how Paul would do against the top names at 200lbs.

That’s the sport of boxing. The business of boxing can sometimes run in parallel – the biggest names are often some of the most talented fighters. Then again, there have been plenty of talented fighters whose celebrity hasn’t come close to approaching their ability. And there are fighters who are huge attractions even if they haven’t done enough to prove their naysayers wrong.

Davis has been one of the most reliable box office draws in the United States in recent years. Selling tickets in D.C. and Maryland, his home region, is one thing. He’s also been an attraction in California, Georgia, New York and Texas. He’s earning money from people who want to see Gervonta Davis, and it hasn’t really mattered to them who Davis is in with.

This fight with Jake Paul will take things to another level. Davis has done well financially, and he will add many millions more to his bank account for this event.

Like you, I want to see the best against the best. But when Davis hangs up his gloves, he won’t care what you and I think. He’ll retire with the kind of riches that may only have seemed like a fairy tale to someone who grew up in the circumstances he did. He’ll retire having earned more than most other boxers ever do.

That’s truly great for him. Even if we never get to see just how truly great he is.

DAVIS SHOULD WANT TO AVENGE THE DRAW WITH ROACH

Tank has really become a joke this year. I don’t hate on anybody making an easy buck, so I understand why he’s doing it, but it’s embarrassing to say the least. Especially when he should be wanting to avenge the first blemish on his record. I don’t think we’ll ever see him fulfil his potential, which like him or not is a shame.

-RJJ-94-02=GOAT

David Greisman’s response: Roach is probably the only person getting the short end of the stick here. He had the performance of his career against Davis in March, entered negotiations for the rematch, thought the rematch was coming, and then had the rug pulled out from underneath. Given the state of boxing in the United States, Roach will either need another name with a major promoter and TV deal to offer him a bout, or he should try to stay busy and build himself up as an attraction in Washington, D.C.

The only solace I can take is that Tank isn’t doing to lightweight what Canelo Alvarez has been doing to super middleweight, which was holding up the division as the undisputed champion by taking on lesser opponents when better foes awaited. Davis has one belt out of the four major world titles at 135lbs. 

There are still plenty of fights that can be made among the remaining titleholders and contenders. Give me any combination of Raymond Muratalla, Shakur Stevenson, the winner of Abdullah Mason-Sam Noakes, Roach, Floyd Schofield, Andy Cruz and William Zepeda.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.