Gervonta Davis’ overall level of competition has drawn criticism since the unbeaten Baltimore native dominated Jose Pedraza to win the IBF 130-pound title nearly three years ago.
Yuriorkis Gamboa will turn 38 before he faces Davis next month, but Davis’ trainer still considers the skillful former three-division champion a true test for the powerful southpaw. The 25-year-old Davis (22-0, 21 KOs) and Gamboa (30-2, 18 KOs) will meet in a 12-round WBA lightweight title fight Showtime will televise December 28 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
“We’re very focused on this fight on December 28,” Calvin Ford, Davis’ trainer, said during a press conference in Atlanta. “I know Gamboa’s coach and his background and this is a great step up for our camp and for Gervonta. … Gamboa has been winning and doing his job. Gervonta is the young champion and Gamboa is looking for that glory again. I believe Gamboa is a fighter who is going to really try to bring the best out of Gervonta.”
The Cuban-born Gamboa knocked out former WBO junior lightweight champion Rocky Martinez (30-4-3, 18 KOs) in the second round of his last fight, July 27 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. Gamboa’s impressive victory immediately preceded Davis’ second-round technical knockout of Panama’s Ricardo Nunez (21-3, 19 KOs), who was the mandatory challenger for the WBA “super” 130-pound championship Davis vacated to move up to the 135-pound division.
Gamboa has won four straight fights since Robinson Castellanos upset him by seventh-round TKO in May 2017. Two of those wins were 10-round, majority-decision defeats of Alexis Reyes and former WBA 130-pound champ Jason Sosa.
Besides Castellanos, Gamboa only has lost to unbeaten WBO welterweight champ Terence Crawford.
“This is a great chance to see what we’re really made of,” Ford said regarding Davis. “We’re really looking forward to this fight and we want Gamboa to be that guy who will bring the best out of Gervonta. We’ll see if he can stand up to him on December 28.”
Gamboa believes he’ll give Davis the toughest fight of the former champion’s six-year pro career.
“Calvin Ford can say whatever he wants about how long I can stand up to the power,” Gamboa said, “but it’s Gervonta who has to step in the ring with me. Come December 28, I’ll show everyone what I can do and prove everyone wrong.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.