Ordinarily an outlet such as this would have no reason to report on an exhibition bout between a 200-pound cruiserweight and a 135-pound lightweight. However, the exhibition bout announced today (August 20) by The Ring, and scheduled to take place on November 14 in Atlanta, just so happens to involve Jake Paul, the cruiserweight, and Gervonta Davis, the lightweight. Both these men are professionals of course and, more importantly, both of them generate clicks. As a result, they will get together and fight, for the clicks and for the attention, and it will be a fight that is written about for the same shameless reasons: the clicks, the attention.
Beyond that, there is no reason for its existence, much less coverage of it. Paul, as we know, is a novice cruiserweight who fights professionally only with his hand held, while Davis is both a super talented professional boxer and a deeply troubled one. In fact, though it was Paul who adopted the nickname 'Problem Child' when starting his pro career, professional boxing news has shown time and again that it is Davis who embodies that title—reaching the age of 30 no longer a child, yet still unsure how to act like an adult.
Had Davis, 30-0-1 (28 KOs), been more interested in his profession, he would perhaps be gearing up for a rematch with Lamont Roach, with whom he drew in March, later in the year. Instead, he sees in Jake Paul the softer option and a more lucrative one to boot. If that, ultimately, is all that matters to him, it becomes a lot easier to understand why Davis, the WBA lightweight champion, has taken the opportunity while it is there – before someone else did.
As for Paul, he has opted to mess around with Davis on Netflix after talks with Anthony Joshua, a heavyweight, allegedly broke down. In that respect, Paul, 12-1 (7 KOs), may have gotten off lightly.
