Jake Paul confirmed today that he’ll be fighting Gervonta Davis at a still-to-be-determined catchweight on Friday, November 14th, on Netflix at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Whether it’s a real fight for an exhibition is another thing that has to be determined.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) will still fight former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, but not until 2026. According to Jake’s promoter, Nikisa Bidarkian, that fight was never going to take place in 2025. It’s for next year.
Jake sees the Tank Davis fight as the perfect setup for the clash against Joshua. The Paul vs. Davis will bring in massive numbers on Netflix. It’s crucial for Paul, 28, to excel in his fight against Gervonta.
“I think it’s just a matter of hitting ‘go,'” said promoter Nikisa Bidarian to ESPN about a fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua in 2026. “Jake is looking at it like he wants to show the world that he’s going to fight David [Gervonta Davis] and then he plans to take on Goliath [Anthony Joshua.”
Fans were expecting Jake Paul to fight Anthony Joshua next. It took many of them by surprise today to learn that Paul will be facing the much smaller 135-pounder Tank Davis. Six divisions separate Gervonta from what Paul fights at cruiserweight. It’s an absurd number.
“Gervonta is an angry little elf who has been disrespecting my name for too long,” said Jake Paul to ESPN. “I’m about to disable his a**. You are all going watch me do it, breaking viewership records again. Atlanta. Friday, Nov 14th. The worst night of Gervonta’s career, live only on Netflix.”
Paul and Davis: A Dangerous Mismatch
Tank Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) fights at lightweight [135], and holds the WBA title. For him to fight the 200-lb Jake Paul, it’s going to require a catchweight. Even then, there’s going to be a big difference in weight between the two fighters.
The Baltimore native Davis has fought as high as light welterweight [140] in 2021, but he’s small at 5’5 1/2″, and would be giving away a massive amount of size to the 6’1″ 200-pound Jake Paul.
Given Joshua’s age and his recent knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, a fight between him and Jake Paul was seen as potentially competitive. It was one that people believed would have the possibility of an upset if AJ’s chin abandoned him like it did in his fifth-round KO loss to Dubois.
“I’m told that Paul’s team’s push for a bout with Anthony Joshua was denied by one major state, with another frowning on it, before the turn to Gervonta,” said Lance Pugmire of Boxingscene on his X account.
Fan Anger Over “Money-Grab” Fight
Fans on X are reacting with a lot of anger and disgust about the Paul vs. Davis exhibition fight. They don’t view it as a sporting one and feel that it’s a money-grab on both of their parts to milk the public of their hard-earned dollars.
The former three-division Gervonta Davis has far superior credentials to the YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Davis’s skills are vastly superior to his. However, the difference in size and punching power makes this fight a farce, and potentially dangerous if Jake lands one of his right hands on the chin of Gervonta.