‘TANK’ DAVIS: “I’LL FIGHT WHOEVER”
April 19, 2024
BY: CHRIS HENDERSON (@Hendersonboxing)
The phone call came while he was asleep and with it an entire training camp of preparation seem wasted as Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis found out his opponent, Abner Mares, had suffered an injury and would be unable to fight. It was only a matter of hours however before a replacement opponent was found in former champion Hugo Ruiz.
While he prepared for Mares, Davis told Henderson Sports Media that he is taking the fight with Ruiz just as serious and there is no “letdown.”
“He’s tall and he can punch. I think Ruiz is a harder fight. I’ve always known you can’t underestimate anyone in the ring.”
Ruiz may not be as reputable a name as Mares but it’s still a chance for Davis, the WBA super featherweight champion, to return to the ring for the first time since last April when he defeated Jesus Cuellar by third round TKO. In fact Davis has only been in the ring for a total of 14 rounds in the two years since winning his first world title against Jose Pedraza. His inactivity has lead to constant rumors about his displeasure with his promoter Floyd Mayweather. Davis stated that he feels everything is ok.
“They [Mayweather Promotions] been moving me right and 2019 is gonna be a big year for me. I want to make a big statement in 2019 and show the world that I’m the next star. I want to headline pay-per-views by 2020 if everything goes right.”
The possibilities for Davis are currently plentiful with potential unification bouts against Miguel Berchelt and/or Tevin Farmer frequently mentioned by fan’s along with talk of featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr moving up to challenge Davis. Then there’s the perceived “nemesis” in Vasyl Lomachenko, currently the lineal lightweight champion and the PPV headlining fight he desires. While Ruiz is his sole focus right now, Davis does have an idea of which direction he would like to go.
“I’ll fight whoever, I’d rather fight Tevin then Lomachenko. It don’t even make sense to fight Loma first.”
To be fair, Davis has a good point, fighting Lomachenko before Farmer does seem a bit backwards. However his detractors will continue to shout from the rooftops that he’s “ducking” Lomachenko. To those critics Davis poses the question, why?
“If I’m not on the P4P list, why y’all want to see me fight Loma if he number one? I mean I must be better than y’all say I am, right?”
Good question and the answer is the same no matter who you ask. Fan’s of both Davis and Lomachenko seem to carry the perception that the other is a “hype job”. When in reality nothing could be further from the truth. There’s little doubt among pundits and ardent followers of the sport that the 24-year-old Baltimore native possesses the talent and potential to become the “star” he hopes to be if he can maintain his focus. It’s that “focus” however that some question.
About the Editor
Army Veteran and former Professional Boxer Simon Ruvalcaba started boxing at the age of ten and Had a 71 fight amateur career which featured a 139 lbs. 1998 8th U.S. Army Boxing Championship out of Camp Casey, Korea and a spot on the prestigious Army Boxing Team at Fort Hood, TX. After a journeyman pro career of 18 fights, which included sparring sessions with many champions and contenders including Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker, Simon started writing and has contributed to many publications and websites including fighthype.com, pound4pound.com, Tahoe Daily Tribune (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV). He has also been the Boxing Instructor for Ken Shamrock and The Lions Den and was MMA and Bareknuckle star Paige VanZant’s first boxing coach!
Born and Raised in South Lake Tahoe, California he now resides in Sun Valley, Nevada and spends as much time as possible with his Sons Gabriel and Oscar! Beyond boxing, Simon is an all around sports fanatic and is passionate about the teams that he roots for. Simon also works as a Sportsbook Supervisor for Caesars Sportsbook in Lake Tahoe.
