A potential match between Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko was supposed to be the next big match-up of 2024 for boxing fans. Two of the top boxers at 135 lbs were supposed to have a lightweight title unification in December. But the negotiations fell through as Lomachenko wanted to take the rest of 2024 off. There were similar issues when it came to other top fights as well. Be it in the case of Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda, George Kambosos Jr., or even Devin Haney, the fights simply never moved past initial social media callouts. This has led many to claim that Tank has been avoiding top-level opponents for years. Or, maybe the promoters are to blame for the fights not happening.
This claim has now grown stronger with the announcement of Gervonta Davis’ next opponent for December. WBA Super Featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr. will be moving up a division to face Tank on December 14 at Houston’s Toyota Center. Since the announcement, fans have been slamming Tank and his team for putting together another matchup no one asked for. This sentiment spilled over into an online spat when former Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe decided to defend the upcoming bout.
It ain’t Gervonta Davis’ fault
The dispute began when Ellerbe responded to a compilation video featuring Lomachenko and his promoter, Bob Arum, sharing differing opinions about the fighter’s prospects. The video included a 2017 clip in which Lomachenko contended that a fight with Davis could only happen if Loma were to sign with Showtime, but as he was already with ESPN, the bout wasn’t possible.
One fan quoted the video and questioned how Floyd Mayweather was able to secure major fights with ease, while Tank Davis, despite having almost the same team, with Ellerbe too being a part of it, seemed to struggle to find top-level opponents.
