By Chris Williams: Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis says he’ll break down and stop WBA/WBC/WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko when the two face each other. Tank (23-0, 22 KOs) wants to be methodical about wearing down the two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs).
If Tank beat Lomachenko, it would be a major loss for Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. He’s been slowly building up Lomachenko for the last seven years, trying to turn him into a star. It still hasn’t happened, and he’s starting to get up there in age.
Lomachenko had already been beaten once by Orlando Salido in 2014. If Davis beats him too, then it’s going to be difficult for the former amateur star to come back from the defeat.
Lomachenko, 32, is a fighter that Tank Davis could fight in the future, but they’re not expected to battle anytime soon. Davis, 25, will be facing WBA super featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz after boxing resumes after the lockdown.
Lomachenko is a fighter that Tank has had his eye for quite some time, and it’s a fight that needs to happen soon. Loma is getting older, and he might over-the-hill soon.
Lomachenko will be fighting IBF champion Teofimo Lopez next. If Lomachenko wins that fight, it’s unclear if he’ll stay at 135 or move back down to 130.
Gervonta wants Ryan, Lomachenko, and Haney
“I think I’m one of the top skilled fighters that fight on TV, besides Pacquiao, Errol, Canelo, and Terence,” said Tank Davis to the WBA. “I feel like I have enough skills to be one of those top guys.
“If we could make it happen, it could be all of them,” said Tank Davis when told that Ryan Garcia, Lomachenko, and Devin Haney have been calling him out. I’m willing to fight all of them. It’s got to be at the right time, but I’m all for it,” said Tank.
There’s arguably a better chance for Gervonta, 25, to fight Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia than Lomachenko. Tank Davis is with Mayweather Promotions, and they don’t do a lot of fights with Lomachenko’s promoters at Top Rank.
That’s not to say that a fight between Tank and Lomachenko can’t be set up in the future, but it’s not likely.
Tank Davis: I’ll break Lomachenko down
“I see myself breaking him down in the ninth or tenth round,” said Gervonta in predicting a win for him over Lomachenko. “There’s not too many people out there that can stand toe-to-toe with me, especially at 130 or 135.
“I don’t see anyone doing that. I can actually fight, and I have skills. A lot of people don’t use their heads and use head movement. They just try to use their feet to get away,” said Davis.
The power that Tank Davis showed in his last fight against Yuriokis Gamboa, he’s going to be a real problem for Lomachenko. Davis slowly broke down Gamboa through 11 rounds before stopping him in the 12th round last December.
Tank could have finished Gamboa off quicker if he’d put a lot of pressure on him, but he took his time.
Davis gives his key to winning
“A lot of people don’t have intelligence in the ring,” said Tank Davis. “A lot of people headhunt a lot. That’s not how to break an opponent down or attack the body or even the arms. You can have power in the sport, and you’re OK in the sport.
“If you have skills, you can be a top guy. Andre Ward and Floyd were smart. That’s why they lasted so long in the sport without taking punishment,” said Tank Davis.
A lot of the fighters that face Tank make the mistake of trying to slug with him, and they end up getting taken out quickly. Lomachenko won’t do that because he doesn’t have the pop in his punches for him to try and go to war with Davis.
