Gervonta Davis: I’m On A Whole Different Level Than Liam Walsh

By Keith Idec

When asked why he thinks he’ll beat Liam Walsh, Gervonta Davis didn’t search for some diplomatic response.

The unbeaten Baltimore native was blunt.

“To be completely honest, I’m just on a whole different level,” Davis said during a conference call Wednesday. “Not to write Liam Walsh off. ‘Oh, he’s a British fighter,’ but I’m on a whole different level right now.”

The 22-year-old Davis, the youngest American champion in boxing, is a 3-1 favorite over Walsh a week-and-a-half in advance of their fight for Davis’ IBF world super featherweight. The confident Davis is a heavy favorite even though the 30-year-old Walsh also is undefeated and Davis’ first title defense will take place May 20 in London, about 2½ hours from Walsh’s hometown of Cromer, England.

“Liam Walsh, he is a good fighter,” Davis said. “We can’t take nothing away from him. He’s my mandatory, so we’re taking him pretty serious. I actually looked at a couple of his fights, also, and he’s a decent fighter. I’m just on another level. My mind, my skills, I’m on another level than what he’s saying and what he’s comparing himself to.”

Davis dismantled previously unbeaten Jose Pedraza in his last fight. That sixth-round technical knockout earned Davis the IBF 130-pound championship and by far the most noteworthy win of his four-year pro career.

The powerful southpaw isn’t sure if Walsh is better than Puerto Rico’s Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs), whom Davis dominated.

“Liam Walsh is undefeated, so I don’t know,” Davis said. “I have to see when I get in there. On paper, you could say he’s my toughest opponent. But I don’t know yet, until I get in there with him and see what he brings to the table.”

Showtime will televise the scheduled 12-round bout between Davis (17-0, 16 KOs) and Walsh (21-0, 14 KOs) as part of a four-fight, split-site telecast from Copper Box Arena in London.

After airing Davis-Walsh either live or on a brief delay at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, Showtime’s telecast will switch sites to MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Gary Russell Jr. (27-1, 16 KOs) will headline that portion of the show in a mandatory defense of his WBC world featherweight championship against Colombia’s Oscar Escandon (25-2, 17 KOs).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.