By Sean Jones: Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ trainer Calvin Ford isn’t ruling out the possibility of him fighting former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman next at 147.
Ford says he’s not sure who the unbeaten former three-division world champion Gervonta (25-0, 24 KOs) will be fighting next, but if it’s ‘One Time’ Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs), he already knows his weakness and has a plan for Tank to use to defeat him.
Tank’s promoter Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions, has recently said that he will take the fight with Thurman, 32, in a second, and it’s one phone call away for it to happen.
However, we don’t know if Ellerbe is blowing smoke, as he could be just fanning the flames to get some cheap publicity for the young 26-year-old Davis without him needing to get in the ring and risking his neck against the still dangerous Thurman.
As most would agree, Tank Davis will gain more attention and popularity from the boxing world if he takes on Thurman at 147 than he would by fighting ANYBODY in the 130, 135, or 140-lb divisions.
Nobody in any of those three weight classes would bring the same kind of attention to Gervonta as if he were to fight Thurman.
Tank Davis sparring welterweights
“I haven’t seen the contract yet,” said Gervonta’s trainer Calvin Ford to Fighthype when asked if Davis’s sparring welterweights to get ready to fight one in his next match.
“That’s real [Tank Davis sparring a welterweight]. Just recently. I’m getting him ready for anyone they put us in front of. I’m not as confident,” Ford said when asked if he’s confident Gervonta will beat Thurman.
“Thurman is Thurman. I’ve been knowing Thurman since the amateurs. We’ve known each other since the amateurs. I do have something that Thurman don’t know I have. Do you understand what I’m saying? On how to get past him. Again, it’s going to be interesting,” Ford said about him knowing a secret on how to defeat Thurman.
“The words of Floyd Mayweather. ‘You’ve been beat, so you know how to be beat.’
“I looked at that too,” Ford said about the rumors of Andre Berto being Gervonta’s next opponent. “Again, once the contract comes past my test, that’s who I prepare for.
“Let me tell you something. I train all my fighters. Fighters are supposed to do this: Train, fight, get past,” said Ford when asked if he’s accepting of a fight between Gervonta and Thurman.
“If I keep them focused like that, look at the results you get. When you start worrying about everything else, that’s what happens. You fall short.
“If your corner is concerned, guess what? Your fighter is going to be concerned,” Ford said when asked if he’s concerned about Tank Davis going up to 147 to fight ‘One Time’ Thurman potentially.
“He knows who actually beat him,” Ford said about Thurman being beaten by Pacquiao. “When you have a hiccup or something, people want to look at it.
“A lot of fighters have problems with certain types of guys. You can’t sleep on Thurman. It’s just like Pacquiao. You can’t sleep on Pacquiao. You don’t know what to expect, but it’s exciting to watch,” said Ford.
Tank Davis has the ability to beat Thurman just like Pacquiao did, and maybe even worse.
Let’s be real. Thurman hasn’t gotten any younger in the last two years that he’s been out of the ring, and he likely is 70% of the fighter Pacquiao beat in 2019.
Tank would have beaten that version of Thurman, and it would be much easier now with how the Florida native has aged in the last two years.
Thurman looks five years older than he did in 2019, which will be bad for him when he finally does break free from the inertia that has immobilized him.
Gravity is doing a number on Thurman, holding him down in place on his couch, seemingly making every move laborious for him.
Thurman has got to somehow break from the pull of the gravity and stand up on his two feet and start moving again, be it for a fight with Tank Davis, Vergil Ortiz Jr, Jaron Ennis, Shawn Porter, or Danny Garcia.
At this point, even a fight against someone like David Avanesyan, Conor Benn, or Daniyar Yeleussinov would be a massive come-up for the stultified Thurman.
If Thurman wants a chance for an immediate big PPV payday, it will behoove him to agree to the fight with Tank Davis if it’s on the table for him.
One Time has ZERO chance of fighting Pacquiao again
Thurman isn’t going to get a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, as he’s been repeatedly asking for in the last two years since losing to him in his last fight in July 2019.
Whatever chance Thurman, 32, had of fighting, Pacquiao went out the door when he decided to sit on his couch, get fat and not fight for the last 25 months.
That was a dumb move on Thurman’s part, as he could have motivated Pacquiao to fight him again had quickly got back in action at the end of 2019 and beaten someone like Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, Vergil Ortiz Jr., or Jaron Ennis.
You can argue that Thurman is an example of how one misses out on life’s opportunities when one chooses to sit, be lazy, get fat and not stay active.
The worst thing a fighter can do after a big fight, be it a win or a loss, is to sit and do nothing for a long period of one to two years. Doing that is a waste of life.
Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia will happen eventually
“Again, the people in charge. Ryan [Garcia] is their dog, Ryan is their cash cow,” Ford said when questioned about what happened with the Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight that was supposed to take place.
“A lot of people don’t want to put their cash cows up like that. I understand; it’s [Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia] going to happen. Eventually, somebody is going to let it happen.
“He’s got the power, he’s awkward, he talks trash,” Ford said about Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. “He’s been living up to that [nickname] name [Roberto Duran]. My partner coach Kenny said the same thing. That’s what he called him [Rolly]. I think that’s where y’all got it from, to tell the truth.
“Me personally, once I see the contract and see the signature of who it is, and it hits my desk, that’s the fight,” said Ford.
Golden Boy Promotions is unlikely to give Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) the green light to let him take the fight with Tank Davis right now because the outcome would be so obvious.
As Ford says, the Tank – Ryan fight will eventually happen, but don’t expect it to happen soon. Golden Boy will likely continue to match Ryan against beatable opposition to take full advantage of his ability to draw crowds and bring in many subscribers on DAZN.
The thing is, Ryan Garcia doesn’t even need to fight quality opposition for him to bring in the numbers. Ryan, 22, can fight fringe-level fighters and still attract interest in his fights, thanks to the millions of followers on social media.
