Gervonta Davis: record, next fight and profile →
Well before his arrival at junior lightweight, Leo Santa Cruz sought the biggest challenge possible at the new weight and always had a hunch it would be Gervonta Davis to answer the call. Ironically, the forced delay in getting to the fight he’s always craved could work to his benefit.
Almost all boxers fight for their families. Leo Santa Cruz is even more motivated than usual to do that Saturday night in San Antonio. The four-division champion wants to pull off an upset versus Gervonta Davis first and foremost for his dad.
Days away from the biggest fight of his career against Leo Santa Cruz on Oct. 31 on Showtime pay per view, Gervonta Davis is having a mea culpa about his most recent match. Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) scored a 12th round TKO win over Yuriorkis Gamboa in December, but the feat came after the hobbled 38-year-old Cuban gold medalist hurt his Achilles in the second round, an injury that required surgery shortly after the fight.
Teofimo Lopez figures to have several high profile and lucrative options moving forward following his huge win to unify lightweight world titles. He won a unanimous decision over the favored Vasiliy Lomachenko, viewed by many as boxing’s No. 1 fighter in the world pound for pound going into their Oct. 17 showdown inside the conference center at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Lopez started fast and finished with a very strong 12th round to win by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112.
As the boxing public waits for the clash between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz on Halloween, the conversation has quickly shifted to Tank’s weight. Floyd Mayweather Jr., Davis' promoter, said his junior lightweight fighter should not have any issues making weight, and the same sentiment is being promised by Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.
Halloween isn't traditionally known for being a big day for the sport of boxing but 2020 hasn't been a normal year for much of anything. The WBA's 135 and 130 pound titles will be on the line when champions Gervonta "Tank" Davis (23-0) and Leo "El Terremoto" Santa Cruz (37-1-1) headline a Showtime distributed pay-per-view event. The showdown, which will take place at a 130 pound maximum weight limit, will take place in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome which will be reconfigured to allow fans to attend in a socially distanced setting.
The oddsmakers and far too many industry insiders are suggesting that Leo Santa Cruz will be cashing out in his upcoming showdown with Gervonta Davis. Instead, the four-division titlist sees it as an opportunity to cash in on the balance of his incredible career.
Gervonta Davis has established a newfound focus in perhaps one of the world’s most distracting locales ahead of his Oct. 31 Showtime pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET / $74.99) junior lightweight fight against Leo Santa Cruz.
Floyd Mayweather has played a more active role in helping Gervonta Davis prepare for his debut as a pay-per-view headliner than he had embraced before Davis’ previous fights. The retired legend isn’t sure, however, whether he’ll actually work Davis’ corner the night the two-division champion meets Leo Santa Cruz. Mayweather plans to discuss that possibility with Calvin Ford, Davis’ head trainer.
Unbeaten lightweight contender Ryan Garcia wants a showdown with Gervonta Davis - sooner than later. Garcia will return on December 5th, when he faces Luke Campbell for the WBC's interim-title. The winner will become the mandatory challenger to Devin Haney.