Tank may have to wait until May to fight Lamont Roach Jr.

If you ask most casual boxing fans to name the five best fighters at the moment, odds are almost all of them will have Gervonta Davis on that list. “Tank” has built up his brand name extremely well, and he continues to flat-out dominate anyone who steps in the ring with him. That in-ring success has been a blessing and a curse, though, as Davis is either finding it hard to get big name opponents or is avoiding others.

Despite taking a risk by fighting Ryan Garcia, Tank followed it up with a bout against lesser known Frank Martin. Martin is a fine fighter and came in unbeaten, but he doesn’t have the star power to truly make a mega fight. Given the Martin fight was a bit of a layup, fans were expecting to see Davis take on a big fish for his next fight. Instead, Davis announced that he would be fighting Lamont Roach Jr. That decision was met with a lot of backlash. So much so that it appears Davis has had enough of the Internet.

Gervonta Davis deactivates Twitter and Instagram accounts

A fan noticed a couple of weeks ago that Davis’ account on X is no longer active. Now, his Instagram has been wiped clean. The Instagram account is still active, but all posts have been deleted.

This all comes after Davis’ fight against Roach got delayed. Odds are the fight will take place on March 1, with reports saying that the Barclays Center in Brooklyn could be the venue. The last big boxing event to happen there was Garcia vs. Devin Haney.

Davis is either locking in completely by focusing on his training and preparation for the fight, or he’s had enough of dealing with trolls on social media. Either way, no one knows when we’ll see posts from him again.

Gervonta Davis has drawn the ire of a good amount of boxing fans in 2024. Despite saddling up for a mega fight against Ryan Garcia in 2023, “Tank” took a step back in his age 30 year in the eyes of many. His decision to fight Frank Martin over the summer wasn’t met with much excitement, although Davis delivered with a scintillating KO. Boxing fans excused it, though, expecting Davis to follow it up with another big fight for his next event.

Instead, Davis announced that he would be fighting Lamont Roach Jr. in December. Roach is a fine fighter, but not a big name by any means. Boxing purists were clamoring for a Davis bout against Vasiliy Lomachenko, which seemed highly possible, but the Ukrainian opted against it; at least for now. While Loma was the one who didn’t try hard to make it happen this time, there are some who believe Davis waited until Lomachenko got old before even giving him a chance.

Gervonta Davis claimed to have ducked Vasiliy Lomachenko

An anonymous boxing official spoke to BoxingScene recently and called out Davis for ducking Lomachenko until the very last minute.

Lomachenko is still elite, evidenced by his TKO title win over George Kambosos Jr. in May, but he doesn’t have the quickness or power that made him among the most dangerous boxers earlier in his career.

Gervonta Davis has a sensational collection of knockouts to choose from for his best.

Davis is unbeaten at 30-0, with 28 of them coming by knockout, helping him becoming a three-weight world champion in the process.

He has stopped a number of elite fighters during those world title fights, including Ryan Garcia, Rolly Romero, and most recently Frank Martin back in June.

It is another man that ‘Tank’ feels is his greatest knockout though, as he explained to PBC why his win over Leo Santa Cruz is number one.

“I would say Leo Santa Cruz. In training camp I was running every day for Leo for two or three months. I was getting my ass whooped in the gym in sparring. I knew his output would be high but I knew mine would be up there with his or close.

“I had to pick my shots because of what type of fighter he was, because he’s not going to stop. If he feels as though he’s breaking me down that’s when I’m going to get my ass whooped.

“They felt I was going to break down but I was doing my job so much that I was ready for everything he threw. I wound up knocking him out in front of his dad and his corner, so it was crazy.”

Davis fought Santa Cruz at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in October 2020, and after five close rounds claimed the sensational sixth round knockout victory.

‘Tank’ was set to return to Texas to face Lamont Roach in December, but he has now spoken out and revealed a new plan after the fight was set to be postponed.

Shakur Stevenson has made it clear that he will pursue a lightweight unification bout against Gervonta Davis in 2025.

The undefeated defensive master is currently sidelined recovering from a hand injury but has informed fans that he aims to return in February against number one contender William Zepeda before finally making the match-up with knockout artist ‘Tank.’

Stevenson will likely be doing this under the promotional banner of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing having left Bob Arum’s Top Rank after years of partnership.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Arum wished his former charge the best and said that he would continue to be a fan.

“Shakur is a great fighter really a tremendous talent and I like him very much. We made a big offer to him which he turned down for whatever reason and I really wish him the best of luck, whether that’s with Eddie Hearn or with another promoter that doesn’t matter to me. Shakur is a tremendous tremendous talent and I want to see many more of his fights.”

He went on to say that Stevenson, currently the WBC Champion at 135, beats everybody in the division, including Davis, and may only struggle with Vasiliy Lomachenko should the Ukrainian return to the ring.

“I think Shakur beats everybody at 135 that’s been mentioned. Maybe if Lomachenko keeps fighting, Loma could make a tremendous matchup with him, but other than that I don’t see anybody with the skills to face and beat Shakur.”

Previously, the 93-year-old promoter has told Boxing Scene that he thinks Stevenson, Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez – currently super-lightweight champion – have the beating of ‘Tank’, saying, “all three would beat Davis, I really believe that.”

Ryan Garcia is adamant that he wants to run it back with Gervonta Davis following their fight in 2023.

The cross-promotional affair was a box office and ticket smash, with fans praising both men for putting their undefeated records on the line at a crucial moment in their careers.

It was ‘Tank’ Davis who came out on top clearly, dropping Garcia in the second round before ending the contest for good with a body shot in the seventh.

Garcia has been vocal in the aftermath about the 136lbs catchweight and 10lbs rehydration clause seriously affecting his performance.

Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes the 26-year-old, said he advised against taking the fight with those stipulations. However, speaking on Club Shay Shay, De La Hoya was refreshingly honest in his verdict on a rematch with no such weight clauses. Instead of blindly backing his fighter, he admitted Davis may just be too good.

Does [Ryan] beat Tank if he doesn’t have the rehydration clause? I don’t know. I just do not know. Tank is very skilful, he’s a beast, he knows how to figure you out, but one thing about Tank, which I love and this is why he’s gonna be great, he fights. And when you fight, you’re gonna get hit, and you might get knocked out.

That’s the beauty of Tank – he fights and that’s why they love him. That’s a perfect example. Tank Davis is a star.”

‘Tank’ went on the be elevated to WBA Lightweight World Champion and has since made one defence of his belt – a knockout of Frank Martin. He will put it on the line a second time against Lamont Roach Jr this December.

Garcia moved up to super-lightweight and defeated WBC Champion Devin Haney, although because he came in overweight he was ineligible to win the belt. Things went from bad to worse when it was revealed he had twice tested positive for a banned substance. The result was overturned to a no contest and Garcia has been banned for a year.

The Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. fight is slowly but surely picking up heat. After an underwhelming reaction during the announcement, fans and experts are warming up to the upcoming WBA lightweight title fight slated for December 14 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Both these fighters have also engaged in several online spats that have only helped hype their upcoming match.

This fight is shaping up to be a technical bout with a sensational undercard. Both of them are strong and though Tank is an astoundingly heavy favorite, experts and boxers are still not counting out Lamont Roach completely. Ahead of the fight, FightHype sat down with Richardson Hitchins and Kenneth Sims Jr. to know their views regarding the fight and their answers might surprise you.

FightHype asked the undefeated super lightweight Hitchins about the history between him and the two fighters and what everyone can expect from their fight. The New York resident talked about the similarities between Tank and Roach and advised the fans to not take the latter lightly. Hitchins was sure that the 25-1 boxer would stun everyone and it would be a brilliant fight.

“Lamont came up in the same type of environment as Tank. They both got a lot of similarities. I think a lot of people are writing Lamont off because of loss against Jamel Herring, but he has shown consistency over the years,” stated Hitchins while talking about how Roach has turned his career around since the loss against Herring in 2019.

The 18-0 boxer then promised the fight to be a technical feat and stated that even he was looking forward to the fight. While talking about who will have the upper hand in a technical fight, Richardson Hitchins stated, “It is going to be a great technical fight. Tank is a defensive genius. He knows how to protect himself and knows ways to maneuver.”

He further stated that if the fight gets dragged to later rounds, Tank will have a clear advantage because of his near-perfect defense. According to Hitchins, Roach should try to finish the fight early because if it comes to the later rounds, there is a high chance that Davis will drag the fight to his pace to get the desired result. While defending Roach as a capable opponent for Gervonta Davis, Hitchins added, “It’s not just like Tank is just picking out a bum. Lamont probably knows how to fight more than a lot of guys Tank fought.” 

On the other hand, the welterweight sensation Kenneth Sims Jr. who has fought against both Roach and Davis, also shared his views about the fight and stated what these fighters must do to win the match.

Floyd Mayweather dragged into the discussion

Fans were buzzing about the possibility of a 2024 showdown between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko, two of the biggest stars in boxing’s lightweight division.

A December title unification fight seemed within reach, promising to be one of the year’s most anticipated events. However, negotiations fell apart when Lomachenko decided to take the remainder of the year off.

This collapse is part of a larger pattern where potential blockbuster fights, such as those with Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda, George Kambosos Jr., and Devin Haney, never progressed beyond initial social media hype.

Speculation has been swirling around Davis, with some critics accusing him of avoiding top-tier opponents over the years. Others argue that the promoters might be to blame for these fights falling through. Adding to the controversy, Davis’ next fight was recently announced, and fans aren’t pleased.

On December 14, Davis will face WBA Super Featherweight champion Lamont Roach Jr., who is moving up to the lightweight division to challenge him at Houston’s Toyota Center. The announcement sparked backlash, with fans calling it another underwhelming match-up.

Leonard Ellerbe defended Davis

In the midst of the criticism, former Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe stepped in to defend Davis. The online debate started after a fan shared a video featuring Lomachenko and his promoter, Bob Arum, discussing Davis. The fan questioned how Floyd Mayweather, with similar management, secured high-profile fights while Davis struggled.

Ellerbe responded by explaining that the process of setting up major fights is much more complex than fans realize. He argued that social media often skews public perception, leading people to believe that Davis is avoiding serious competition.

According to Ellerbe, scheduling conflicts and other factors often prevent fights from happening. He even claimed that some fighters call out Davis publicly despite being unavailable or unable to fight.