By Ryan Burton
On Saturday night Gervonta "Tank" Davis (21-0 20 KOs) didn't face the high profile opponent that was supposed to help propel him to superstar status.
He was originally slated to face former three-division champion Abner Mares but those plans fell through when Mares had to undergo surgery for a detached retina.
Former super flyweight Hugo Ruiz, who had fought just three weeks prior, stepped in on short notice to save the card from getting canceled. Tank made quick work of Ruiz, stopping him in the first round.
Even though it wasn't the high level opponent that they wanted and trained for, Davis' trainer Calvin Ford was still very pleased with his fighter's performance.
"He still finished the fight in good fashion. You hear the critics say that he fought nobody but the guy had 18 first round knockouts and what happened to him? He got knocked out in the first round," said Ford shortly after the fight.
The 24-year-old Davis likely hasn't hit the prime of his career yet. Ford said that there are many more elements of his game that he hasn't shown yet and that it will take elite level opposition for us to see the best that the WBA super featherweight champion has to offer.
"You ain't seen the best of him yet. I am waiting for the guy that will bring the best out of him. There are things I know about Tank that people don't know and I haven't seen (that opponent) yet. I know when they bring it out of him and that is the guy I am looking for, where they get to see everything that Tank brings out," Ford explained.
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