What’s Next For Gervonta Davis?
Gervonta Davis’ win over Frank Martin has left fans wondering where he goes next.
Davis knocked out Martin to retain his WBA Lightweight Title. The win was a big step for Davis, who had been out of the ring for 14 months. After the Ryan Garcia win, Davis had served time in jail for breaking the terms of his house arrest. But with the win, he has several big fights.
If he stays at 135 pounds, he could take on Vasiliy Lomachenko. Loma is the IBF Lightweight Champion, a belt he secured after beating George Kambosos Jr. in his last fight. Davis has been linked with Lomachenko since 2018. The fight never got made with suggestions that Tank was avoiding the Ukrainian.
Since then, Lomachenko has gotten older. He is now 36 and not the same fighter he used to be. Defeats to Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney showed that. The Haney loss, though, was controversial, with many believing that he had been deprived of a win. Bob Arum has said a fight could be made in November.
Arum Reacts
“Davis and Lomachenko is a bigger fight than Davis and Shakur. If Tank is available and Lomachenko having a good victory over Kambosos, that’s the fight that everyone wants to see. We’ve been talking to PBC all along. We’ll absolutely resume conversations next week after this fight, assuming Tank Davis is successful on Saturday. It won’t be the start of negotiations.
“Carl Moretti has been talking to Louis DeCubas for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully, we’ll put it together for sometime in November. Nobody is dragging anybody to the table. Both sides know it’s a big fight, which means they’re looking forward to earning a lot of money, and they’re both competitive guys. I’m optimistic that the negotiations will go well. You can never guarantee that, but PBC are professionals, and my guys are professionals, and they’ll work it out,” Arum said
Davis’ Other Options
Another option is to face Shakur Stevenson. Shakur is the WBC Lightweight Champion, a belt he acquired after beating Edwin De Los Santos. Despite getting the win, the performance was criticized. Many booed Shakur, who chose to fight off the back foot with his jab. Shakur justified his performance, stating he had a hand injury coming into the fight. While that may have been the case, his stock did fall. But fans could see that fight if Shakur defeats his opponent Artem Harutyunyan in style.
There is also the potential to move up to 140 and face Devin Haney. This fight had been mentioned at 135. However, Haney moved up to 140 as he vacated all his belts at lightweight. However, following Haney’s loss to Ryan Garcia, there are suggestions that the Dream will not be the same. This is even if the loss is overturned due to Ryan Garcia’s failed tests for Ostarine.
If those bouts are not possible, Davis could have rematches with Ryan Garcia and Isaac Cruz. The first Garcia fight sold over 1.2 million PPVs, with a live gate of over $20 million. It was the highest-grossing fight of 2023. Garcia claimed the 136-pound catchweight and ten-pound rehydration clause hindered him. But they could run things back at 140.
A rematch with Cruz is also possible. Isaac has the WBA belt at 140 after having stopped Rolando Romero. Cruz was praised in the Davis fight for lasting the distance. Although that may have been the case, Davis revealed he had a hand injury. Now, there is a narrative to run things back, especially given Cruz’s growing fanbase that will help sell the fight. Whichever way Davis goes, he has plenty of options.
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