We want steak, but it looks like we’ll have to settle for fish.
It’s not the main course we were hoping for, but it shouldn’t leave an unpleasant aftertaste in our mouths. At least not considering the circumstances. And it’s certainly better than going hungry.
That’s the situation with Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ next fight, which could end up pitting the WBA lightweight champion against WBA junior lightweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. Nothing is official yet, but boxing reporter Dan Rafael recently said it was possible for the December 21 pay-per-view, while ESPN’s Mike Coppinger told Roach is the favorite to start the fight.
It’s normal to be disappointed by this news.
It’s fair to want better opponents for Davis.
It’s unfair to blame Davis – at least not this time.
Davis (30-0, 28 KO) has become one of boxing’s biggest stars thanks to his obvious talent and thrilling performances that showcase his skill, ring sense and fight-changing power. Video of Davis’ eighth-round victory over Frank Martin on June 15, posted by Premier Boxing Champions on July 15: it has amassed 5.8 million views on YouTube.
Martin was undefeated and was ranked in the top 10 in the lightweight division prior to this fight. Davis has faced other respectable opponents over the past few years, and some of them look even better in hindsight, such as Tank’s 11th-round technical knockout of Mario Barrios in June 2021 and the unanimous decision over Isaac “Pitbull” . Cruz in December 2021
Barrios, then a junior welterweight, moved up to 147 pounds and defeated Yordenis Ugas to win the world title. Cruz moved up to 140 pounds and dethroned Rolando Romero, another Davis victim, for the WBA belt. Cruz recently lost that title to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela. (More on Valenzuela a little later in this column.)
However, boxing fans wanted Davis to move beyond the second division at 135 pounds and test his talent against other top fighters. There were many reasons why these fights didn’t happen over the years.
This time they just weren’t available.
The other world champion titles are held by Vasily Lomachenko (IBF), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denis Berinchyk (WBO). Negotiations between Davis and Lomachenko are over, Lomachenko’s team said he didn’t want to return to the ring for the rest of the yearthat he doesn’t feel motivated to fight and prefers to spend time with his family.
The news was disappointing, though not entirely surprising, given Lomachenko’s long career, dating back to his long time in the amateurs, as well as what we had heard from him and how little we had seen of him.
Lomachenko fought just once in 2022, winning a decision over Jamain Ortiz. He fought just once in 2023, challenging Devin Haney for the undisputed lightweight title and dropping a close decision that some thought could have gone Lomachenko’s way. He will end 2024 after just one fight, defeating George Kambosos Jr. in May. in the fight for the vacant IBF belt.
In the post-fight interview, Lomachenko dedicated the victory to his father, who played such a significant role in his career.
“It’s a title for him because after Haney I want to end my boxing career.” – said Lomachenko. “After that fight with Haney, I proved that I am in this sport and I don’t need to continue. But my father sends me messages every day and every time he sends me my latest fights, my highlights, and I feel like he wants to continue, he wants to win the title again. And he told me, “Hey, we have to do this again.” We have to fight for the title again.” It was a hard decision for me because I’m tired. But I love my family. I love my father. I respect my father. My father built me in boxing and in life. And that’s the title. This is my father’s victory.”
Stevenson, a free agent after leaving Top Rank, eventually signed with Matchroom and announced a fight with former junior lightweight title champion Joe Cordina on October 12 undercard Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitriy Bivol. Stevenson then suffered an injury in training and had to withdraw from the fight against Cordina. It is expected to return in 2025.
Berinchyk doesn’t have name value nor does he seem to have the attributes that Lomachenko and Stevenson have.
William Zepeda, who is the No. 1 contender for all four major world titles, initially turned down a fight with Stevenson, apparently because his wife was about to give birth. However, Zepeda has signed a contract for a November fight with former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer.
Some thought Cruz would get a rematch with Davis. Cruz competed against Davis in their first fight and is one of only two men to last the distance against Tank. (It should be noted that Davis has been dealing with a hand injury.)
That belief disappeared when Cruz lost to Valenzuela in August. Will Valenzuela not only win Cruz’s title, but also inherit the opportunity?
“I have a rematch clause [with Cruz] now, so I’m waiting, but if not, then Teofimo [Lopez] and second [140-pound] “masters” Valenzuela recently told FaceOfBoxingTV. What about the rumors that he turned down the Davis fight? “It wasn’t actually an offer. It was more like I had just been asked about Tank. I said not at 35 and we never really delved into it. There were no details or anything. I don’t know if you consider this an offer, but it happened.
Valenzuela has fought in the 135-pound weight class for most of his career and was a lightweight as recently as December of last year. However, you can’t blame him if he thinks junior welterweight is better for his body. You also can’t blame Davis if he wants to stay at lightweight now, even though he moved up to 140 pounds before the Barrios fight.
That leaves Davis with few options, and among lightweights, none are particularly attractive. Once you get past the three other titleholders and Zepeda, the rest of the rankings z “Ring” magazine. and International Boxing Rating Council are mostly made up of prospects who are still developing (Raymond Muratalla, Keyshawn Davis, Andy Cruz, Zaur Abdullaev) or who have recently failed to live up to the hype (Kambosos and Martin).
Edwin De Los Santos is not classified by these observers, but he is rated by the WBA and therefore could fight for the belt. De Los Santos scored a knockout over Valenzuela in 2022, although he also punched a downed Valenzuela one round earlier. However, his last fight was a decision loss to Stevenson in November 2023.
Since there isn’t much space on 135, Roach can enter from 130. And from the Washington street side.
This is another reason why this fight is worth fighting.
If Tank fails to face any of the top lightweights and does not wish to remain inactive until the end of 2024, a fight against Roach would be an acceptable substitute. Or at least it’s as good as it can be, even if it doesn’t satisfy us as much as a steak dinner.
Roach (25-1-1, 10 KO) has won six in a row since his only loss, a decision that came in 2019 in favor of Jamel Herring. His biggest victory came last November when Roach defeated Hector Garcia by split decision to win the world title. Garcia is another former enemy of Tank; Davis stopped him in nine rounds in January 2023 at lightweight, about 10 months before Garcia’s loss to Roach.
It was fun to watch Roach’s progress. It’s still demanding to imagine him causing Tank too much trouble. However, the fight could be organized and staged in Davis’ hometown of Baltimore or, more likely, in DC itself. Although this is Roach’s hometown, it was here that Davis headlined the fight against Hector Garcia. The fight will do well at the box office.
Another issue is pay-per-view. Davis is one of the biggest stars in the United States. Some may purchase the stream just to see him perform; the opponent takes them less into account, if at all. For others, the prospect of Davis vs. Roach may be intriguing enough to be worth watching, but not intriguing enough to commit to it.
Boxing fans can and should talk to their wallets. Just because there’s a fight going on doesn’t mean you have to buy into it. If you really don’t feel like eating fish, you may want to avoid eating at a restaurant until steak is available again.
As for Davis, just because a huge fight isn’t available doesn’t mean he should wait on the sidelines. I’d rather see Tank back on the battlefield, even if he just had to fight his way through and knock down an armed enemy. It’s better than sitting around collecting rust.
