Gervonta Davis calling himself “130/135 King”

By Boxing News - 08/03/2020 - Comments

By Allan Fox: Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is already anointing himself as the “KING” of the super featherweight [130] and lightweight [135] divisions ahead of his October 24 clash against WBA 130lb champ Leo Santa Cruz on Showtime pay-per-view. The fight will be held at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Tank will be attempting to come down to 130 to challenge Santa Cruz for his WBA super featherweight belt, and there’s a lot of question marks whether he’ll make the weight.

Can Tank Davis make 130?

Davis already ate himself out of the 130-lb division in 2019, and he struggled to make the 135lb limit in his last fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa last December

Many boxing fans believe that Tank Davis has little chance of being able to boil down to 130 to fight Santa Cruz for his WBA strap. Santa Cruz recently said that Davis would need to pay a heavy price if he fails to make the 130lb limit, but he didn’t say how much the penalty would be.

The Davis vs. Santa Cruz winner will hold two WBA titles at 130 and 135 and will be ready to defend both belts. Davis’ World Boxing Association lightweight trap that he won last December against 38-year-old Yuriorkis Gamboa is the ‘regular’ title, not the main one held by Vasiliy Lomachenko.

In other words, Tank Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) is the SECONDARY WBA 135-lb champion, a title that doesn’t hold a lot of value. You can argue it’s like having a second-hand Mercedes. It’s not as prestigious as the WBA ‘Super World’ lightweight belt held by Lomachenko.

To be the top guys at 135, Tank needs to beat Lomachenko, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Mayweather Promotions wants to make that fight.

Image: Gervonta Davis calling himself "130/135 King"

The WBA made an unusual move by choosing to have the 130 & 135lb titles up for grabs for the Davis-Santa Cruz fight, which is a strange move on their part because Santa Cruz has never fought at 135. It won’t be a big deal if Tank wins because he already holds the WBA 135lb belt, but it’s a different story for Santa Cruz.

Ellerbe: Tank is ready to show the haters on Oct.24

“130 / 135 KING B**H,” said Tank Davis on social media in jumping ahead of himself by already calling himself the WBA 130 and 135-pound champ.

Davis has only had ONE fight at 135, and that was against 38-year-old Gamboa, who suffered a torn Achilles during their bout last December. Tank hasn’t fought any of the talented 35-pound fighters yet like these guys:

  • Vasiliy Lomachenko
  • Teofimo Lopez
  • Ryan Garcia
  • Devin Haney

YouTube video

At 130, Tank Davis would need to beat these fighters to become the #1 fighter in that division:

  • Miguel Berchelt
  • Shakur Stevenson
  • Jamel Herring
  • Joseph Diaz
  • Rene Alvarado
  • Oscar Valdez

“Gervontaa out here getting it in, ready to show all the haters on Oct 24 on
@SHOsports PPV! All roads for that Money bag at 30 & 35 come through Tank,” said Tank Davis’ promoter Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions on Twitter.