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Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis finally has an opponent—or at least an available option.

Lamont Roach Jr. was granted special permission by the WBA to pursue a showdown versus Davis in lieu of an ordered 130-pound title consolidation bout.

As previously reported by The Ring, Roach (25-1-1, 10 knockouts) was summoned to next face interim titlist Albert Batyrgaziev earlier this summer. However, a one-time exception was granted to instead challenge Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) for the WBA lightweight strap.

“The WBA Championships Committee has granted special permission to super featherweight world champion Lamont Roach Jr. to move up in class to face Gervonta Davis,” the WBA stated in a ruling. “NoXcuse Boxing Promotions sent the formal request on September 13, which was received by the committee to be considered and consulted with the team of Albert Batyrgaziev, who is the mandatory 130 lbs. challenger.

Gervonta Davis 

“After the respective analysis and based on the internal rules of the organization, it was decided to grant the request to Roach under certain conditions.”

The notice stated a working date of Dec. 14 for the fight. The Ring has learned that the PBC on Prime Pay-Per-View event could also land on Dec. 21. A location was not specified, though the latter date would be targeted for Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The building’s main occupants, the NHL’s Washington Capitals, have a Dec. 14 home game.

Capital One Arena would be the perfect backdrop for the regional rivalry. Davis hails from Baltimore, while Roach is from the D.C. suburb of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Las Vegas is also under consideration for the event. That setting could produce a scenario where interim WBC light heavyweight titlist David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) appears in the co-feature. Davis and Benavidez co-anchored the June 15 PBC on Prime PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Another rumored slot has Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) defending his WBC middleweight title versus Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KOs).

PBC creator Al Haymon was unavailable for confirmation due to an already scheduled slot at a Home Depot tile demo.

Davis’ June 15 date saw the unbeaten southpaw knock out unbeaten Frank Martin in the eighth round. It was his first fight since his seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia, also unbeaten at the time of their April 2023 super fight.

Gervonta Davis

Roach made the first defense of his title in an eighth-round stoppage of unbeaten Feargal McCrory (16-1, 8 KOs). The June 28 bout took place in Washington, D.C., Roach’s first fight in his home region in nearly seven years.

Prior to that came his first title win. Roach scored a dramatic 12th round knockdown to outpoint and unseat WBA 130-pound titlist Hector Luis Garcia (16-2, 10 KOs).

Overall, Roach has won six in a row. His lone defeat came in a Nov. 2019 decision to then-WBO junior lightweight beltholder Jamel Herring in Fresno, California.

The outcome of the Davis bout will dictate his obligation to next face Batyrgaziev (12-0, 8 KOs).

An upset win by Roach will be met with a five-day deadline whether to remain at 135 or drop back down to 130. A loss will put him on a strict 120-day deadline to defend versus Batyrgaziev.

Davis is The Ring’s No. 1 at lightweight and N0. 8 pound-for-pound. Roach is rated No. 4 at 130 by The Ring.

In this week’s mailbag, Coach Breadman fields questions about the aftermath of the heavyweight clash between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua, looks at the bout between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan and takes you behind the scenes with how he manages his time to give his fighters the best chance.

Sup Breadman, My question is in regards to training. As a trainer is there a certain type/style of fighter that you believe you are more inclined to have success with or have a preference to a certain style? How do you approach training different style of fighters? Do certain styles require training that “boost” certain attributes? For example, does a pressure fighter require more conditioning? Does a pure boxer require more roadwork? How do you feel about changing a fighter’s styles or teaching certain skills to a fighter that generally don’t go with their style? I recall Marcos Maidana adding a jab after training with Robert Garcia and finding some success with it despite being labelled as a “brawler”.

Hope you and yours are doing well, thank you.

Bread’s Response: Good question. I prefer a certain personality over a certain style. I also prefer a certain body type over a certain style. A style can be enhanced. But a body style really can’t. And the personality has to be compliant. I can’t argue with a fighter everyday about something I’m trying to teach him. 

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua

I also have my core principles but you can’t train two fighters exactly the same. Yes, certain styles require certain boosts. If you’re a quick-twitch sharp fighter, you need explosive and reactive training. You don’t need to run 5 miles everyday to get in shape. It will slow down your approach. 

If you’re a pressure fighter you need extra sparring and endurance work because you’re grinding fighters down to win. I don’t like changing a fighter’s style. But I do believe in doing something to win a fight, even if it’s not the fighter’s natural style. I had Kyrone Davis fighting on a bounce vs Anthony Dirrell because I thought a bounce would surprise Dirrell more so than Kyrone pressing him trying to walk him down. And recently I had Caleb Plant go inside vs Trevor McCumby because I didn’t want McCumby to get momentum with his step in power. 

Davis is not a bounce and move fighter. And Plant is not naturally an inside fighter. But I’ve seen both do it in the gym, so I was comfortable training them to do those things and asking them to do it in fights.

Robert Garcia did an excellent job with Marcos Maidana. He had Maidana on his best career run and he gave Floyd fits with that jab. Maidana had a real case for winning six or seven rounds vs Mayweather in their first fight. But that’s not changing of a style. That’s adding a simple tactic that enhances a style. Maidana is a wild looping puncher and he puts hard pressure on his opponents. But a strong jab made him highly competitive vs his generation’s best fighter. 

Great question.

Hi Breadman,

Question on the Dubois Vs Joshua fight. I saw you tweet about Joshua’s problem where when he gets hurt he stays hurt. The question relates to how you can come back from a beatdown like that both from a fighters and trainers perspective. You obviously recognized this issue with Joshua that he was hurt and would have trouble coming back, so what would you have done as his trainer, throw in the towel after the 1st round? How can you channel a fighter to respond to a situation where you can see the writing is on the wall? It must be so difficult to be responsible for making these calls.

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua

The same question applies to how you can overcome this in a potential rematch. In my opinion, it was different with Ruiz, where Ruiz was clearly smaller and containable whereas Dubois appears to have both the physical, and now, the mental advantage. Can you tell me any examples of when an older fighter has taken a serious beating and come back to win a rematch? Thanks,

Bread’s Response: I did, but Joshua has only been stopped 2x. So I don’t want to over exaggerate his demise. It’s just that when the great heavyweights get hurt, which they all do, they recover on the average a lot faster than Joshua. He seems to stay hurt for several rounds. Even against Klitschko, in a fight he won. He seemed hurt for several rounds and the only reason Wlad didn’t stop him was because Wald is overly conservative and careful. Wlad is a great fighter and great puncher but by the time he fought Joshua, he was not a killer. 

Coming back from beatdown is all about self esteem and humility. You can’t lose your self esteem and lessen yourself because you lost a fight. But at the same time you have to recognize what went wrong. Joshua’s personality is very peculiar in my opinion but he has done well in rematches his entire career. So that’s something to consider.

I don’t want to question Ben Davison. I’m sure he’s going through some things after taking a tough loss. So heck no, I wouldn’t have stopped that fight in the 1st round!! It’s boxing. And just because Anthony doesn’t have great recovery powers, it doesn’t mean you stop a fight in the 1st round because he got hurt. He actually came back and hurt Dubois right before he was KOd.

As painful as it is to the fighter, you have to talk about what they need to do when they’re hurt. It’s a must. Obviously you can’t punch them in the face, hurt them, then practise how to recover. But it’s something that needs to be talked about and discussed. You also have to help them recover in the corner between rounds. 

Anthony JoshuaIn a rematch where a fighter previously KOd, you have to give the fighter a scenario on which he can win the rematch. You have to point out the opportunities he had to win even though he didn’t. You have to also explain to him that just because a fighter had his night on THAT particular night, it doesn’t mean he can beat him every fight.

Lennox Lewis was KOd really bad vs Hasim Rahman. And he came back in an immediate rematch to ko Rahman. Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano took turns KOing each other in 3 fights. So both came back. As did Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez. So it’s not impossible. Joshua has something to draw from because he actually did it vs Andy Ruiz. But I agree, this will be a harder task than Ruiz. Dubois is not as easy to outbox. His jab is better than Ruiz’s. And I don’t get the impression he’s going to come in out of shape in the rematch.

Gervonta Davis hasn’t been quiet when it comes to his very public beef with Ryan Garcia.

The pair have been going back and forth ever since they fought back in April 2023.

In that bout, Davis knocked Garcia out in the seventh round with a body shot to the abdomen.

Despite that decisive win, things haven’t settled down between the pair.

Garcia has even claimed that he’d beat Davis if they ever had a rematch.

Of course, Ryan Garcia is known for being vocal and outspoken, especially on his social media.

His most tangle, however, has been with Devin Haney.

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Gervonta Davis Devin Haney  Ryan Garcia

 

News emerged last night that Haney has sued Garcia after it emerged that ‘King Ry’ had tested positive for drugs.

And now, Gervonta Davis has chimed in on the recent developments.

Davis, on his Twitter/X account, has quote tweeted a post from user @EricPark22 that reads, “Didn’t Bill Haney say they were sending in Devin Haney to kill Ryan Garcia? Said he really wants Ryan to die in the ring ? Now team Haney is saying they could’ve died and wanting to sue lol b**** move.”

Adding on top of that, Haney makes a simple four word addition.

“Crazy how life works..”

Gervonta Davis is not the only person from his camp to comment on the matter.

Gervonta Davis 

Rick Glaser, Davis’ trainer, criticised ‘The Dream’ for making the whole matter legal.

Criticising both Gervonta and his father Bill Haney, Glaser wrote on social media that with the legal action, Gervonta Davis’ credibility in the fighting community has taken a serious hit.

So it seems that the super lightweight division is all about the lawsuit that has begun and others involved in the division are having their say on the matter now also.

Floyd Mayweather was once an appreciated mentor to Gervonta Davis but the relationship has crumbled in recent times.

The 50-0 boxing great signed ‘Tank’ to Mayweather Promotions back in 2015. After an undefeated title winning run in which his power and talent were showcased, Davis announced a split from the company in 2022.

READ MORE: ‘I’m seeing double’ – Fans stunned as Gervonta Davis shares ‘lookalike’ in fellow fighter with 100 per cent KO ratio

Since then, the pair have sent both veiled and direct digs at each other via the media, making talk of a fantasy fight even more intriguing.

In an interview with The Art of Dialogue, former Mayweather opponent and big puncher Shane Mosley backed the older man to win in a prime vs prime fight.

Floyd Mayweather vs Gervonta Davis

“Floyd Mayweather I think wins. Pretty easily at 135. He’s a little taller, he’s faster, he’s a boxer. I don’t think Gervonta would be able to get close to him. He wouldn’t be able to counterpunch Floyd cause he’s too short.

At the same time, I rocked Floyd pretty good. Gervonta seems to have the same type of power I possessed when I was younger. There’s another thing, Floyd didn’t like to fight southpaws back then … So that is a possibility, cause he didn’t like to fight southpaws. I still think Floyd would’ve got him, but there’s a question mark there because Gervonta Davis does punch hard and he could crack him.”

JUST IN: Gervonta Davis&; coach believes Tank  could decode Floyd Mayweather s defense in a fight

Though ‘Tank’ has said he would love to make the fight happen, any jabbing the pair do will be limited to back and forths on social media.

In the meantime, the hard-hitter from Baltimore is slated to return to the ring this December to defend his WBA Lightweight World Title, with super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach the reported challenger.

Jon Jones thinks the idea of Floyd Mayweather setting foot in the octagon is a bad idea, adding, that he’d ‘hurt’ the boxing icon if they ever crossed paths in the cage.

While undeniably one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time, ‘Money’ is lacking experience outside the realm in which he made his name.

Jon Jones thinks he’d destroy Floyd Mayweather

In his remarkable boxing career, Floyd Mayweather has established his status as one of the most talented competitors to ever lace up the gloves.

With lightning hands and an incredible sporting IQ, the American carved a reputation for making his opponents miss and subsequently pay.

floyd mayweather jr  Jon Jones

In addition to his dazzling skills, Mayweather possessed the gift of the gab, frequently winding up his opponents and boxing fans with his braggadocious attitude.

This resulted in the boxer making an astronomical amount of money through the public buying his fights, often in the hope he’d lose.

WOW: Floyd Mayweather gave angry response over Muhammad Ali being ranked as the greatest ever

This gave him the opportunity to build monstrous events, including a major bout with UFC star Conor McGregor.

While the clash received some criticism, Jon Jones enjoyed the spectacle, claiming he’d like to see more MMA stars make the leap into the ring.

However, he thinks all boxers, including Mayweather, should think twice about entering the cage.

In an interview with SNY, he said: “I would like it if we kept it to MMA fighters trying out boxing. I think it’s a lot safer for an MMA fighter to try out boxing. If you get a boxer inside the octagon, there’s so many elements that they’re unfamiliar: the head kicking, the body kicking and the choking and the arm-bending, ankle-twisting, and all that.

floyd mayweather jr  Jon Jones

“It’s a lot, and it can be really dangerous for Floyd [Mayweather] to join an MMA match. So, I would strongly suggest he reconsider.”

He was then asked what would happen if he fought the four-weight boxing world champion in the cage.

Read More: Why ‘Please cancel this’ – Concerns raised for former Floyd Mayweather foe and Jake Paul trainer as he gears up to make boxing comeback at 53 years old

Jones answered: “Floyd Mayweather weighs like 150lbs, I’m like 220lbs. I’d hurt Floyd Mayweather. But I’m a huge fan of Floyd, let me say that.”

Fans want to see the devastating power of Gervonta Davis against the impenetrable defence of Shakur Stevenson.

Both lightweight champions, the unification bout seemed close earlier this year when ‘Tank’ and Shakur fought just weeks apart and were then in the market for an opponent.

As with many of the biggest fights in boxing, it is set to marinate for longer. Stevenson is now on the sidelines after hand surgery, leaving ‘Tank’ to defend his WBA belt against another contender before the year is out. When it eventually does happen, many will find it a hard bout to predict.

In an interview on the JAXXON podcast, two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez didn’t feel as such, saying the big puncher from Baltimore beats all comers in the lightweight ranks, though did say Stevenson could make it competitive.

Gervonta Davis

“Tank is a good fighter for everyone out there who wants to see boxing. He has those things for those people. At 135, yeah he beats all those guys.

The only one that gives him a challenge is Shakur. Shakur Stevenson will give him a challenge. Because Shakur is technical where you gotta think more. Tank has been fighting C to B class fighters. Ryan [Garcia] is an A+ on media, social, but not as a boxer, we all know this.”

Stevenson has promised fans he will return in February of 2025 to take on undefeated number one contender William Zepeda. ‘Tank’ is now slated for December 21 in Washington, where the frontrunner is reportedly super-featherweight titlist Lamont Roach.

Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko looked destined to be fighting each other earlier this year.

Negotiations were opened in June between representatives of Loma and Tank for a proposed WBA and IBF lightweight world title unification clash for the back end of this year.

It’s understood conversations between long-time promotional rivals Bob Arum’s Top Rank (who promote Lomachenko) and Al Haymon’s PBC (who represent Davis) were going well.

However, talks came to an abrupt halt in July when Lomachenko opted to take some time away from the sport.

Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas insisted that his client ‘wasn’t in the mood to fight Davis right now’ and wouldn’t be returning to the ring until 2025.

Gervonta Davis knocks his sparring partner halfway out of the ring and gets  out himself to mock him

 

The development came amid reports that Lomachenko and Davis had reached an agreement.

But Top Rank President Todd duBoef insists negotiations were only in the early stages with nothing more than a ‘framework’ in place.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, duBoef said: “We were all for it.

“We had met with Tank Davis and multiple people from PBC.

“Loma is at a place in his career where he is seasoned, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all.

“But one thing he’s not done is unify all of the titles and go undisputed.

“And I think he really wanted that, that is why his disappointment in the Haney fight was there.

Fans are fearing the worst as ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley prepares to return to the ring.

The former three-weight world champion is set to headline a Celebrity Boxing event in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.

Mosley, 53, will take on full-contact karate fighter Bob Kofroth in a light-heavyweight scrap, eight years removed from his retirement from professional boxing.

During a career stretching from 1993 to 2016, Mosley won world titles at lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight – achievements that earned him a first-ballot International Boxing Hall of Fame induction in 2020.

Mosley never shied away from a challenge and shared the ring with several great fighters including Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya.

floyd mayweather jr Jake Paul

Since hanging up his gloves he has turned his attention to being a boxing trainer and is currently working with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

But after 61 pro fights (49-10-1) the California puncher is struggling to kick the boxing bug.

Promoting his upcoming clash with Kofroth on social media, Mosley sent a message to his fans: “Make sure you watch my fight on September 28.”

However, his supporters were left concerned by the delivery of Mosley’s message, with many claiming his speech is ‘slurred’.

Reacting to the video, one fan wrote: “Don’t do it your voice is slurring you’re gonna wind up like Muhammad Ali.”

A third added: “Dude you can barely talk as it is. Stay on your damn couch my guy. Nothing for you to prove.”

There has been a trend of picking four names who best represent a sport

There has been a trend of picking four names who best represent a sport – and Bellew listed Roy Jones Jr, Ricardo Lopez, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.

It means no room for unbeaten Mayweather and KO king Tyson but SunSport break down what makes Bellew’s picks so special.

Roy Jones Jr

The American is considered of of the best talents to ever grace the ring, blessed with speed, power and sensational reactions.

He was four-weight champion, winning belts from middleweight all the way up to HEAVYWEIGHT.

 Floyd Mayweather

But Jones has continued fighting well into his prime, as recently as 2023 aged 54.

Ricardo Lopez

The Mexican also had an undefeated 52-bout career but a 1998 draw with Rosendo Alvarez denied Lopez an unblemished record.

He held two world titles and boxed as low as seven-and-a-half STONE.

Lopez had 38 KOs and retired in 2001 and remains one of the most celebrated fighters in Mexican boxing history.

Muhammad Ali

Mike Tyson

Known as ‘The Greatest’ due to his iconic career in the ring and for the work he did outside of it.

Ali reigned as three-time champ and fought George Foreman and Joe Frazier in two of the most famous fights of all time.

The sporting great sadly passed away in 2016 aged 74 as the most beloved boxer of all time.

Teofimo Lopez recently called out Gervonta Davis for a fight this year.

‘Tank’ Davis currently holds the WBA Lightweight World Title, being elevated to full champion when Devin Haney vacated and making his first defence against previously-undefeated Frank Martin.

Lopez, who previously held four belts in that division, has settled one weight class up at 140 pounds, winning the WBO belt in his third fight there against Josh Taylor and making two successful defences since.

Both are currently in the market for an opponent and Lopez recently issued the call for Davis to move up and face him before the year is out.

Speaking to Sean Zittel on a potential fight, undefeated super-featherweight Maliek Montgomery used the experience of a 2015 amateur bout with Lopez and more recent sparring sessions with Davis to make a prediction.

Gervonta Davis

“I wasn’t able to get any work with Teo more currently, but from my perspective of being in the ring with both of them, that’s a tough one. I would still probably give the edge to Tank in that fight … just because that power is an equaliser, and it doesn’t help the fact that he has a great boxing IQ also.

So it’s a part of now you gotta go twelve rounds of dealing with somebody who can box, has all those attributes, but also has that type of power that they can hit you one time and change the whole tempo of the fight.”

‘Tank’ is slated to return on December 21 against former super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach, according to Dan Rafael. Lopez is currently without a date or opponent.

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