Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ former opponent Liam Walsh has refused to condemn him for agreeing to an exhibition with Jake Paul.
The 30-year-old Davis is widely recognised as second only to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as the world’s highest-profile fighter, and yet despite the significant appeal of a fight between Davis and his fellow lightweight Shakur Stevenson or a rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr he has prioritised the riches on offer against Paul.
Davis and Paul, 28, will share the ring at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on November 14 in what is expected to amount to little more than a freak show. But where Paul has regardless long sought the match-ups with the greatest commercial potential, Davis has for even longer been considered a fighter capable of earning induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and it is therefore he who is likeliest to be criticised.
There is also the reality that a fight between Davis and Stevenson – Davis is the WBA lightweight champion and Stevenson is the champion of the WBC – would not only be lucrative but perhaps the most appealing that can be made in any weight division, and that Roach Jnr proved Davis’ most difficult opponent and to the extent that he deserved a rematch after they fought to a draw in March.
Walsh, however – a fighter stopped by Davis in one of the then-young IBF junior-lightweight champion’s most impressive statements in 2017 and one who continues to closely follow the sport in retirement – insists that most in Davis’ position would do the same. It is Roach Jnr who Walsh would most like to see his strongest former opponent fight, but the Englishman also recognises that the money involved in fighting Paul is too great to turn down.
“As a purist I want to see him defend against Roach and give Roach the rematch,” Walsh told BoxingScene. “But the amount of money that’s involved – first and foremost, boxing is a business, isn’t it? I can’t say I’m too disappointed – he’s going to do that. Most fighters, if they’re dead honest, would as well.
“The news didn’t overly surprise me. When I read I just thought, ‘Yeah, that’s normal’. He’s a huge name; obviously Paul’s a huge name. It makes a load of money, so why not?
“You’d definitely have to say [Davis] was the best I fought. I didn’t fight any other world-class fighters, apart from Andrey Klimov, who went 10 rounds with a young Terence Crawford. [Davis] was a huge jump up and the best I fought, undoubtedly.
“The best lightweight in the world is Shakur. I think Shakur beats them all. I admire Shakur; I admire the way he goes about his business. He actively seeks to fight all the best fighters, and he wants to fight all the best fighters, so I’m gonna go with Shakur. I know a lot of people would say ‘Tank’, but Tank’s resume ain’t that deep, really, if you actually look at it. I still think his best win is [Jose] Pedraza, and that was a long, long time ago.”
Walsh was in the corner of his brother Ryan when in December he lost to their fellow Englishman Sam Noakes. It has since been confirmed that the 28-year-old Noakes will fight Abdullah Mason, 21, for the vacant WBO lightweight title on November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and though he favours the promising Mason for victory, Liam Walsh believes that it is a fight that the heavy-handed Noakes can win.
“I only met him when he fought Ryan, and he just seems a sound, decent lad – decent, hard grafting lad, so I do like him and I do like this fight for him as well,” he explained. “I think it’s a winnable fight – obviously it’s winnable because he’s in this position for a reason, but what I mean by that is that we’ve seen vulnerabilities in Mason, haven’t we? He’s been knocked down a couple of times; he’s only ever done six rounds, I think. So there’s a lot of question marks there, so if you are going to get a world-title fight, then this is definitely one that you’d jump at. You’re not fighting a Gervonta or a Shakur or somebody who’s tried and tested and comes with huge knockout power. I know Abdullah has cracked a few but he’s been cracked as well, so I do like the fight for him and I hope he can get the job done.
“It’s nice to see [Noakes] get his shot. I look at someone else in a position to him a couple of years ago – Archie Sharp, for instance – Frank [Warren, my former promoter and Noakes’ promoter] done well and got him high in the WBO rankings and he was sat there for ages and didn’t get his shot. Similar to Dillian Whyte years ago with the WBC. Similar with Joe Parker at the minute – things aren’t playing out well for him. So it’s good that he’s getting his shot quite soon; he’s number-one ranked; he’s gone through the old traditional route, which is nice. British, Commonwealth and European, and now he’s got his world-title fight so it’s good to see it.
“I do give Noakes a chance. But I do favour Abdullah Mason, because stylistically… Noakes is a good fighter. He’s a very well-rounded fighter; holds his form well; got a good jab; he’s strong; big at the weight; doesn’t do a lot wrong. But I do feel Abdullah Mason, stylistically, is probably – I wouldn’t say all wrong for Noakes, but he’s a southpaw, which is a big factor. He has fought a southpaw – he fought Yvan Mendy. But it’s different – and the movement, the American slick sharpshooting, counter-punching style is the style to beat Noakes if he’s disciplined enough to stick with it. [Mason] hasn’t had much experience in the pro game. I’d say probably 60-40, 65-35 Abdullah Mason if I had to put a number on it. But I’d love Sam to win it. I just feel like he’s an underdog at the moment.”
