Gervonta Davis is box office - he proved it again on Saturday night with that demolition of Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero - and his next fight should be a true blockbuster.
‘Tank’, now 27-0 with 25 wins inside distance, said before his victory over ‘Rolly’ that ‘the training wheels’ need to come off. It’s time to dip his toes in for some genuine superfights.
The good news for Davis - now 27 years old - is that he inhabits a lightweight division stacked with huge names and fights right now.
Much of course depends on his contractual status - he is currently aligned with Mayweather Promotions but has hinted that might be about to change.
He is good enough now to consider branching out as a free agent as Floyd himself did so successfully. And as ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is doing now.
Who should Gervonta fight next?
We’ve listed the biggest fights out there for ‘Tank’, in our order of preference:
Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia
The fight that might just stop America. The pretty boy Garcia vs the bad man that is ‘Tank’.
Both carry concussive power and this would in theory be an absolute barnburner.
Garcia said on Saturday night that he’s ready to fight Davis before the end of 2022 - we would absolutely love that.
Let me handle business July 16th I’m going to get tank, he was screaming the whole fight I’m next so let it be.. December let’s get it #TankRolly
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 29, 2022
Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr is massive, but this might be the most exciting fight boxing could make right now. Even without any major titles on the line.
If you’re wondering about the contractual status here, Garcia of course is signed to Golden Boy Promotions, and his bouts currently air on DAZN.
Gervonta Davis vs Devin Haney
Haney is the current WBC champion, and will meet George Kambosos Jr next weekend in a massive unification match in Melbourne, Australia.
The winner of that vs ‘Tank’ would of course be for all the marbles at 135lbs, and that is why it appears at #2 in our list. Haney is the slight preference as he again provides a contrast in styles and persona - just like Garcia. And USA vs USA likely means bigger dollars.
Right now Haney is aligned with Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Lou DiBella promotionally, and his bouts air on ESPN.
Gervonta Davis vs George Kambosos Jr
If Kambosos does beat Haney next weekend (the odds are currently pretty close) then he would be the undisputed lightweight champion. He already holds the IBF, WBA and WBO straps.
That would mean Davis likely having to travel to Australia to try and bring the belts back to the U.S. - would he take on that challenge? Kambosos right now is promoted by Lou DiBella.
Gervonta Davis vs Vasiliy Lomachenko
Loma was the true king at 135lbs before losing to Teofimo Lopez in their unification match in 2020. After that, Loma underwent shoulder surgery and is now feeling his way back.
‘The Matrix’ is still one of the most spellbinding talents in boxing, and a showdown with Gervonta would be a massive deal.
The Ukrainian is aligned with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, and therefore with ESPN from a broadcast perspective.
Gervonta Davis vs Teofimo Lopez
The forgotten man of the lightweight division right now, but a fight with ‘Tank’ would still be box office. There is a reason it is now bottom of this list though.
Teofimo lost his titles to Kambosos last year in a huge upset, and afterwards all the talk was that he would move up in weight to 140lbs rather than stay at 135. His next bout could be at 140 in August.
That of course would mean ‘Tank’ would have to move up in weight as well to face him. Not impossible, but highly unlikely given the potential riches which still remain at 135.
Teofimo is aligned with Bob Arum’s Top Rank and ESPN, though the loss to Kambosos aired on DAZN after Arum lost the purse bids for that bout.
