Gervonta Davis should be the biggest star in professional boxing. An unbeaten, 28-0 knockout artist who has accumulated 26 stoppages. This weekend, he faces Ryan Garcia in the biggest fight of his career to date. ‘Tank’ by name, Davis metes out military-precision beatdowns by nature. A world title holder across three divisions, Davis has never shirked a challenge in his life. He’s 28 years old, has a marketable style and nobody can beat him. So why is he not the most famous boxer on the planet?
The answer lies in one of the men who used to hold that moniker. You could perhaps make the argument that he still does. Iconic former pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather has served as an on-off mentor for Davis over the years. While the association has opened doors for Davis, the comparisons have not always been helpful. It has been difficult for Davis to make his own way in the world when the supposedly retired ‘TBE’ still fights a couple of times a year in exhibition bouts. Fans are less likely to latch onto the second coming if the original never really went away.
READ MORE:
Given the fact Gervonta boxes with a harder-hitting version of the shoulder-rolling swagger that Mayweather once displayed, it has led to him sometimes unfairly being labelled a pale imitation. During their many falling outs, even ‘Money’ himself has deemed the younger man a mere facsimile. They seem to be on good terms now, with Davis labelling his former mentor as the greatest of all time in a recent interview. Mayweather returned the favour by predicting Davis would beat Garcia by knockout.
But the idea of Davis as a junior partner, the Robin to Floyd’s Batman, has led to him living as a perpetual prospect. This is a grown, 28-year-old who enjoyed five reigns with various world titles. Mayweather was a fixture on pound-for-pound lists at the same age. But for Davis, you sense it would take a victory over unbeaten Garcia to get him there.
While the looming shadow of Mayweather hasn’t always been helpful, you cannot blame the semi-retired former ‘Pretty Boy’ for Davis’ level of competition. While ‘Tank’ has fought some excellent opponents, such as Leo Santa Cruz, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Mario Barrios, his CV lacks a defining victory. His knockouts are ideal fodder for the content-hungry social media age, but none of them have come against a name that your Jake Paul-loving every-kid would know. This is where Garcia comes in.
‘KingRy’ is an almost painfully-online character. Wise to the strength of social media, unlike Paul and his ilk he actually backs it up with near-world class fundamentals. A master self-promoter, ‘The Flash’ has manoeuvred himself into a genuine pay-per-view blockbuster without ever having competed for a world title. There’s a reason that this bout is considered the biggest of Davis’ career.
What better stage to finally shrug off the shackles of the Mayweather comparisons? Floyd isn’t going anywhere. Not while promoters are paying him seven figures to beat the sh*t out of overzealous Minecraft streamers. But an impressive win, preferably via stoppage, over a big name on one of 2023’s biggest cards will kickstart Davis’ second act. ‘Tank’ has proven himself to the connoisseurs. Beat Garcia in style and he’ll become a name to the casual fan, earning his place alongside Tyson Fury and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in mainstream consciousness.
Every boxer worth his salt reaches that put-up-or-shut-up crossroads in their career. The reason Davis vs Garcia is such a mouthwatering collision is the fact both these fighters are at that point. This bout will shape the future of each man. If Gervonta Davis’ future is as something more than “Mayweather 2.0”, then now is the time to show it. Why be the next ‘Money’ when you can be the first and only ‘Tank’?
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
