Promoter Oscar De La Hoya wants WBA secondary lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis to stop wasting his potential and step out of the shadows to unify against the other champions and fight the “top dogs” in the 135-lb division.
(Photo credit: Golden Boy Promotions/ Cris Esqueda)
Tank has let ten years of his career fly by, tinkering against low-level fodder, beating paper champions, and conquering Youtubers. He’s become a copy of Floyd, hustling fights and peddling the mismatches to the public.
Gervonta is another Adrien Broner type of fighter, collecting multiple titles against weak opposition and making good money but not being involved in mega-fights unless you count Tank’s recent fight against influencer Ryan Garcia as a big fight.
The fighters that De La Hoya would like to face are Shakur Stevenson and whoever emerges with Devin Haney’s soon-to-be-vacated IBF, WBA & WBO lightweight titles.
Sadly, Tank has shown no interest in unifying. His focus has been grabbing paper titles against nobodies. He must break free from his gilded cage to take on the true talents – Vasily Lomachenko, Devin Haney, Shakur, and Teofimo Lopez.
“He beat Ryan in a big event, a big PPV blockbuster, and I think Tank has to go after a world champion,” said Oscar De La Hoya to the media about his feeling that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis needs to step it up against better opposition.
The former six division world champion De La Hoya, who accomplished so much more in his career and made far more money than Tank has, would like to see him show some ambition and face the top fighters.
If money is all Tank is concerned with, he’s fallen short of the mark because the play-it-safe match-making that’s been done for him by Mayweather Promotions has prevented him from accumulating the kind of earnings that De La Hoya did. When your career best opponent is Jose Pedraza, that tells you something.
“I don’t know if he’s a world champion now. So maybe he has to unify. Maybe Tank [should fight in a unification at lightweight],” said De La Hoya.
It might be asking too much of Gervonta to cut the strings to stop dancing to the tune of his promoters and start thinking for himself to face the best at 135 & 140, starting with Shakur Stevenson.
It’s believed that Tank will be fighting a needless rematch with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz next in a fight that is a further example of his potential being stultified.
“Yeah, a unification would be great, but obviously fighting the top dogs, the best of the best, and it’s in him. Tank Davis is a beast. He’s an amazing fighter. I have no doubt he’ll want to go in there against the very best,” said De La Hoya.
