By Brad Slotnick: Two-division world champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is putting in the hard work preparing for his move up to 140 to challenge WBA World light welterweight champion Mario Barrios on June 26th on Showtime pay-per-view.
Tank (24-0, 23 KOs) has to put on a little more size and add power for him to deal with the new weight class at 140. To add to that, Davis, 26, is taking on a much taller guy with 5’10” Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs.
We don’t know how well Davis will adjust to fighting in a higher weight class, facing Barrios.
Is Davis the new Face of Boxing?
There’s a lot of pressure on Davis with his promoter Floyd Mayweather labeling him the new ‘Face of Boxing’ last week.
If Gervonta is the fighter that Mayweather thinks he is, he’ll need to bring in a massive amount of buys on Showtime pay-per-view.
Davis defeated Leo Santa Cruz by a devastating sixth-round knockout last October on Showtime pay-per-view. He ended the fight with an uppercut similar to the one Canelo Alvarez hurt Billy Joe Saunders with last Saturday.
For Gervonta to be the true Face of Boxing, he’s going to need to face credible fighters that are still in their prime.
In his last two fights, he’s fallen short of facing prime fighters in his bouts against Santa Cruz and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Those were both excellent fighters during their day, but they were both long in the tooth when Davis fought them.
As far as Davis fighting at 140, he’ll get a pass from boxing fans if this is a one-off in fighting WBA champion Barrios, who isn’t rated highly.
If this is just a legacy deal in which Tank is going up to capture his third division world title before moving back down to 135 or 130, the fans won’t mind.
Boxing fans want to see Davis raise the level of his opposition because he hasn’t faced anyone good since moving up to 135. His career is being steered in a rudderless manner as if his management has no idea what they’re doing.
Barrios: Davis made a mistake with me
“It wasn’t a name that I was expecting to hear for my next fight, but it’s a tremendous opportunity for me,” said Marios Barrios to PBC podcast.
“I respect what he’s trying to do as far as jumping up and fighting a champion. I believe they made a mistake with me, and I’m excited about this opportunity.
Whether fans like him or not, Gervonta has one of the biggest names in the sport. This is the type of fight where I get to show everybody how great I am.
We know the caliber opponent we have in front of us. It’s definitely a step up,” said Barrios.