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Gervonta Davis Was Supposed To Face Superstar Years Ago – And It Could Still Happen

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gervonta davis

Gervonta Davis’ long-time trainer, Calvin Ford, has said that he is open to a bout between Davis and former pound-for-pound superstar, Vasily Lomachenko, as the lightweight division belts look set to be fragmented.

In a packed out division featuring the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Frank Martin and George Kambosos, as well as both ‘Tank’ and ‘Loma’, titles are set to become available as Devin Haney, the current undisputed champion, prepares to move up to super-lightweight to challenge Regis Prograis for the WBC 140lbs crown.

As a result, it seems that Stevenson will battle Martin for the WBC world title, with Haney possibly fighting the winner should he choose to return to the division.

Meanwhile, Ford told ES News that a showdown with Lomachenko for his man would make for an interesting clash, and one that he expects the Ukrainian to be well up for.

“That’s a good fight.”

“That fight was supposed to happen, especially when Loma came to America, we thought that was going to actually happen. It’s a good one, and Loma would take that.”

Lomachenko is currently coming off a loss to Haney for all four belts – one which he feels he did enough to get the victory. With a rematch off the table, he has not announced his next move.

With Davis currently holding the WBA Regular world title, it is likely that he will campaign to challenge for the full Super belt once Haney moves up.

JUST IN:Gervonta Davis Net Worth: ‘Tank’ Boxing Purses & Career Earnings

There are three others ahead of Lomachenko in the WBA rankings – Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is currently ranked as the number one contender with Jose Zepeda second in line, followed by Frank Martin.

Despite Davis having already beaten Cruz back in 2021, it looks the most likely fight for him next. Ford’s willingness and fan demand for the Lomachenko fight is one thing, but it may not be enough to cross the promotional barriers.

JUST IN:Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko Next Fight Buzz

Whoever fills the opposite corner, the bout towards the end of the year will be ‘Tank’s first time back in the ring since he dominated and knocked out Ryan Garcia in one of the most memorable performances of 2023.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson Teaches Francis Ngannou Technique For Fury Fight

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mike tyson

The once labelled ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ is seeking to help another fighter claim that title, as Mike Tyson sets about preparing Francis Ngannou for his boxing debut against the current WBC world champion, Tyson Fury.

Although he is yet to enter the squared circle, Ngannou’s fearsome reputation as a knockout artist proceeds him ahead of his first taste of professional boxing.

On his route to the UFC heavyweight title, the 36-year-old claimed eleven victories, all by stoppage and all bar one coming by way of knockout.

As a result, Ngannou’s name is forever etched into the history of the MMA organisation as one of its most brutal punchers.

Who better to train a man so daunting than a man who shares that same esteem in the sport of boxing?

During his rise to the world title, Tyson knocked out twenty-five of his twenty-seven counterparts, recording an astonishing eighteen consecutive stoppages within one year of his professional debut.

Since retiring in 2005, Tyson has remained ever-present in the sport, regularly interviewing current fighters on his podcast, Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson.

Now, he is set to make the ringwalk once again as he trains Ngannou. On his social media, the heavyweight legend showed the intense training that he has been putting Ngannou through with the ambition of pulling off the ultimate upset.

The Fury-Ngannou spectacle is scheduled to take place on October 26 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, although the heavyweight world title will not be on the line in the ten-round bout.

Boxing fans largely believe there to be little jeopardy in the contest for Fury, who is widely considered one of the best active fighters on the planet.

 

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BOXING

“Mayweather Got Mad”: 13 Years After Stunning Floyd Mayweather in $78.3 Million Fight, Shane Mosely Exposes the Truth Behind 5-Year-Long Delay

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floyd mayweather

Among the famous bouts that Shane Mosley participated in was the 2010 match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Apart from the pay-per-view sales that raked in over $78.3 million, the contest remains famous for the head-on way then-thirty-eight-year-old Mosley took on Mayweather Jr. A first-time experience for ‘Money.’ But, per many accounts, the battle was overdue by five years. Shane Mosley was close at hand to illuminate what transpired in the background, leading to the eventual delay.

Referring to a post-fight interview, seemingly one after the Henry Bruseles fight on January 22, 2005, the ‘The Art of Dialogue’ reporter shared that Floyd Mayweather Jr. called out both him and Prince Naseem Hamed. So he asked Shane Mosley why he and Mayweather Jr. never exchanged punches at the time. More so, he came across rumors of ‘Sugar’ shunning it because of some toothache.

Why it took five years for Shane Mosley to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

So Shane Mosley tried to recall how an opponent, during a bout, headbutted him. It resulted in one of his teeth turning loose. He kept mentioning (Antonio) Margarito. But per records, he fought the Mexican-American fighter on January 24, 2009. The incident made him apprehensive about getting into a slugfest with Mayweather Jr. However, he cited a more compelling reason. Shane Mosley said that he checked for a matchup with ‘Pretty Boy’ in the 135-pound division, where he stood, during an interview stint with ESPN. Mayweather Jr. was in the 130-pound range.

Mosely shared that the undefeated champion declined, saying he first wanted to clear the Super Featherweight division. He mentioned how only a few knew such details. ‘Sugar’ noted that the fight eventually occurred only after he moved to the Welterweight division. By then, he was older and not as good as he used to be. However, he still went ahead and fought. ‘The Art of Dialogue’ reporter asked whether their respective teams were in touch to bring forth the match.

Shane Mosley declined to take any such steps. He revealed the reason why the fight finally occurred in 2010. So, he was a partner in Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy Promotions and was present in the ring alongside Bernard Hopkins. He said, “… so the real reason is that when I got in the ring, Bernard Hopkins was like, yo, what’s up? What’s up? You go, finally, and that’s when we started talking, and then Mayweather got mad…”

Shane Mosley declined to take any such steps. He revealed the reason why the fight finally occurred in 2010. So, he was a partner in Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy Promotions and was present in the ring alongside Bernard Hopkins. He said, “… so the real reason is that when I got in the ring, Bernard Hopkins was like, yo, what’s up? What’s up? You go, finally, and that’s when we started talking, and then Mayweather got mad…”

Shane Mosley stayed with boxing for over two decades. The high-profile career saw him participate in sixty-one fights, of which he won forty-nine. He retired in 2016, roughly a year before rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. staged a comeback to fight Conor McGregor and finally retired for good. He reportedly rejoined Jake Paul’s team. The latter called up ‘Sugar’ after the loss to Tommy Fury to prepare him for the Nate Diaz fight.

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis Rules Out Crawford Fight, Will Return Late This Year

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gervonta davis

Gervonta Davis says he wasn’t serious about fighting undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford, and instead, he’ll be looking to return to the ring late this year or early in 2024.Crawford made it clear in a recent interview that the only way a fight with Gervonta happens is if he moves up to 147 because he’s not moving down in weight. That translates to Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) viewing himself as the A-side, the guy that brings in the fans for a fight with Tank Davis, and that obviously won’t fly with the Baltimore native nor his promoters at Mayweather Promotions. Tank (29-0, 27 KOs), who many feel is the new ‘Face of Boxing’ now that Canelo Alvarez is washed up, created a lot of attention recently talking about a fight with Crawford, but he admits he was joking around and the fans ran away with it.

Crawford is moving up to 154 or possibly 168 to try and become a three-division undisputed champion. If he were to fight Tank, he would need to drain down to 135 and likely agree to a rehydration clause to keep him from rehydrating to super middleweight.

Crawford’s ego would keep him from agreeing to a rehydration clause to get a fight with Tank Davis. This week, Crawford’s trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ Mcintyre revealed that his walking around weight is 168 lbs, which is way bigger than what Tank Davis weighs for his fights at 135. Gervonta told DTLRRadioFM that he’ll be back in action potentially later this year or early next. Although the talented Tank Davis didn’t mention who he’ll be facing, ESPN revealed last weekend that it’ll be a rematch with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KOs), a fighter that Gervonta barely edged out with a twelve round unanimous decision in December 2021.

JUST IN:Gervonta Davis’ Trainer: Tank Would Whoop Sean O’Malley’s Ass in One Round

The closeness of the Davis-Cruz fight has created a lot of interest in a rematch between the two, and this is an excellent time to get that one out of the way for Gervonta.

Tank Davis is coming off a big win over Ryan Garcia from last April in a massive fight that brought in huge PPV numbers on Showtime. Unfortunately, the way that the match ended, there’s no chance for a second contest. The big fight for Tank Davis at lightweight is Shakur Stevenson, but that one still needs to be marinated for two to five years before it’s big enough to be with it for the Baltimore native. The casual boxing fans don’t know who Shakur is yet, and he doesn’t have a built-in fan base in the U.S. like Isaac Cruz does that he can count on to purchase a fight between him and Tank Davis on PPV.

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BOXING

Tyson Fury proposes tag-team fight against Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua

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Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua

Fury played down the skills of heavyweight rivals Usyk and Joshua by proposing a tag-team boxing fight that would see them partner up to take on ‘The Gypsy King’

Tyson Fury has boldly claimed that he could “batter” Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua on the same night.

Heavyweight champion Fury has been heavily linked to fights against Usyk and Joshua but is yet to face either of the two in the ring. ‘The Gypsy King’ is instead set to fight former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on October 29 in Saudi Arabia but his WBC belt won’t be on the line in the crossover bout.

anthony joshua

Footage from Fury’s new Netflix documentary has shown him discussing potential fights against Usyk and Joshua, which led to him proposing a tag-team boxing match. Fury thinks Usyk would be too easy a challenge so he suggested the Ukrainian should tag Joshua in for alternate rounds.

After their first encounter saw Liam Smith knock out Eubank Jr in a major upset, Eubank Jr is now out for revenge. Following months of controversy and bad blood, the two fighters are set to meet once again in a highly anticipated clash and you can watch all the action live this weekend on Sky Box Office.

“Beating Usyk doesn’t do anything for me, who the flipping heck is he? Me giving Usyk a fight is like me not chucking him the bone, but chucking him the full dog’s home. “Everybody expects me to beat Usyk, a middleweight guy who is smaller than me,” Fury said of his heavyweight rival.

“If he beat me it’s like ‘Oh my god, he beat the mammoth who no one couldn’t be beat!’ I’m not going to give somebody the opportunity to gain that. Hell no. It would probably be a better fight if Usyk and AJ fought me both together, like a tag-team. Just keep switching between rounds. I’d actually batter them both on the same night, that’s how easy they are.”

mike tyson

Usyk was in action last weekend as he stopped Daniel Dubois to defend his unified heavyweight titles, but the win was overshadowed by a controversial low blow that some fans believe was a legal punch. Joshua also fought earlier this month as he knocked out Robert Helenius, who has since tested positive for a banned substance taken from a pre-fight drug test.

If things go to plan for Fury in his upcoming fight against Ngannou, an undisputed clash with Usyk could be made in Saudi Arabia at the start of next year. Usyk said of the potential fight after his recent win: “I’m ready tomorrow. Listen, I’m ready. Next fight, I’ll fight Tyson Fury but for Tyson Fury, I have no idea.” The event could also feature Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, as the monumental heavyweight card was being planned for the end of this year but has since been pushed back.

What are your thoughts on Tyson Fury’s proposed heavyweight tag-team fight? Let us know in the comments section below

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BOXING

Sad ending for Floyd Mayweather if brawl, lifeless arena end heist

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floyd mayweather

Floyd Mayweather looks to have ended his career with a sour taste, a lifeless arena, and a brawl to finish.

Mayweather may have fought his last bout. If that is the case, it’s a sad climax to a run that sparkled for many years.

The boxing legend’s latest effort, a dominant stoppage of John Gotti III, will not go down in any record books. However, it will be remembered for a mass brawl inside the arena.

Not the best way for Floyd to go out at age 46.

Mayweather tried to put on a show for the fans, but not many of them will take that memory away from the exhibition.

In his London exhibition before that, the ‘Money’ man clowned around, sat on the ropes, and attempted to give those who paid to see him in an exhibition value for money.

Unfortunately for the one-time superstar, he fell as flat as the arena. Against Gotti, the opposite happened, and all hell broke loose.

The whole farce saw Mayweather potentially bow out of the sport in the most shocking way possible.

Floyd Mayweather career

From a contest against a former reality star to a battle against a notorious name in sports, Floyd Mayweather is better than that – and we all know it.

Mayweather strayed from his previous formula of the Middle East. London and the USA never paid off during his ‘Heist Tour.’

Paying top-dollar prices for seats and Pay Per Views as Mayweather toys with his opponents are undoubtedly becoming a more challenging task.

Having to place a mixture of reality stars and YouTubers on the undercard only blights the copybook of a once international boxing icon.

The five-weight champion must consider ceasing any further events of this nature. He now knows that the new generation is turning off to the aging guard.

Adding a UK reality star and a notorious name didn’t help Mayweather in his quest to continue lighting up the sport.

Continuing trending on social media, most of the mentions of Floyd Mayweather are now about how he failed to capture the imagination.

If he gets back inside the ring, he has to avoid the UK or the United States and stick to entertaining the Middle Eastern fans who will buy a ticket and show up for the Pay Pey View taping.

Ending

As a Floyd Mayweather fan and an avid follower of his generation, it was hard to swallow just how low the veteran has sunk in the grand scheme of the sport.

The influencer generation couldn’t even prop up a legend with almost thirty million followers on Instagram alone. That’s what makes this whole scenario all the more shocking.

It’s a fact Mayweather struggles to pack an arena in an age when YouTubers can sell out venues.

The fall from grace for the Las Vegas native will hopefully be a wake-up call that not everything he does will work. Yes, he’ll get his check, but Mayweather lost the way. Mayweather is a Hall of Famer with a resume anyone would be proud of in any era of boxing. However, it’s a shocking way to earn extra cash.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson: McGregor Went 10 With Mayweather, Why Can’t Ngannou Give Fury a Capable Fight?

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mike tyson

Mike Tyson was on the wrong side of one of the biggest upset losses in boxing history when 42-to-1 underdog Buster Douglas knocked him out in Tokyo, Japan,

Tyson was 22 years old and the undefeated heavyweight champion at the time.

Fast forward 33 years, and Tyson will be involved in the biggest crossover heavyweight boxing clash to date when his namesake Tyson Fury fights the Iron Mike-trained former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou (17-3, 12 KOs MMA) will be making his boxing debut, and if he were to beat the WBC heavyweight titlist Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs), Tyson thinks it would be a bigger upset than his loss to Douglas.

“Tyson Fury got dropped by a small guy early in his career,” Tyson said on The Jim Rome Show. “[Ngannou] punches like God knows who, man. He’s an athlete, he moves quicker, works with his speed, and listen man, he only has to land one or two.

“Tyson’s never been in the ring with somebody that can punch this hard.

“[Ngannou] asked me to go all-out aggression. He’s moving his head. He’s getting it together, and he’s determined to do this stuff for his country, his people, his patriotic pride. This is really interesting. I’m very excited about doing this.”

“[An Ngannou win over Fury] – that would be a bigger upset than Douglas-Tyson.”

Fury and Ngannou will fight on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Tyson hosted Ngannou on his podcast Hotboxin’ to further discuss the fight.

“This is what you have to look [at] when you think about him fighting Tyson Fury — Conor McGregor went 11 rounds or 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather, the greatest fighter of his generation, if not all-time. If that can happen, why can’t [Ngannou] give Tyson a capable fight?” Tyson wondered. “Floyd Mayweather is the greatest fighter in the world as far as technique and style. So why doesn’t he have a chance if McGregor did well and did a great account of himself? Everybody respects him for his effort. Nobody said, ‘He’s a b!tch.’ No one is saying that.

“[Ngannou and I] worked out and I saw a lot of good qualities. He pretty much just needs to shake off some of the cobwebs and then it’s full speed ahead. You learn pretty quick, too, which I was really impressed with.”

The soon-to-be 37-year-old Ngannou brought a boxing-first background to his career as a mixed martial artist.

“If I land a bomb on Tyson Fury, I think the lights turn off for him,” Ngannou said. “But now the problem is how to sharpen the weapon properly to land that bomb, because it’s good to have a bomb, but the great Teddy Atlas always says, ‘delivery system.’ You have to have a proper delivery system. That’s something that’s always stuck in my mind. You have to have a bomb, that’s cool, but how to have a good delivery system to aim and shoot [is more important], and that’s why Mike Tyson is here.”

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis’ Trainer: Tank Would Whoop Sean O’Malley’s Ass in One Round

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Gervonta Davis

Not only is Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis getting called out by many of the top boxers in the sport, he’s also become a target for MMA fighters as well.

The UFC’s newest star, world champion ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley has called for a boxing match with Davis.

After a stunning second round stoppage of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, which took place earlier this month, O’Malley took part in the post-event press conference and surprised many in attendance by calling for a fight with Davis.

“I wouldn’t mind knocking out Gervonta Davis, I’m telling you that fight is going to happen…I would love to go out there and box him…I don’t know if he’s a big enough star for the UFC to let that happen, but it’ll happen,” O’Malley said.

One of Davis’ trainers, Kenny Ellis, believes O’Malley would get destroyed in a boxing match.

“Tank gonna whoop his ass, in the first round. Any tiny lightweight would beat him, Tank, Shakur, Haney, all those guys would beat him cause they’re boxers. All of them would knock him out. You better leave those boxers alone before you get knocked out,” Ellis told ES News.

O’Malley’s callout is not surprising.

Back in 2017, UFC superstar Conor McGregor made a fortune in his stoppage loss to Floyd Mayweather. Earlier this month, MMA veteran Nate Diaz got paid a career high purse for his decision loss to Jake Paul. And former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is being paid a career high purse for a boxing match with WBC king Tyson Fury on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.

For his part, Davis was in action twice in the first half of 2023.

In January, he stopped undefeated Hector Luis Garcia in nine rounds. He came back in April to drop unbeaten Ryan Garcia twice for a knockout victory in the seventh.

At the moment, Davis is dealing with the aftermath of his legal troubles in connection to a serious auto accident. He is still expected to return before the end of the year, with several names being mentioned in the running to fight him – including former foe and top contender Isaac Cruz.

 

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua drops cryptic message

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Anthony Joshua

British boxer, Anthony Joshua, drops a cryptic quote, warning about a change in situation despite good deeds or intentions

The two-time former unified world heavyweight champion shared the cryptic message on his Instagram story.

He wrote, ‘In life, we feel that good deeds will put your spirit and reputation in a good place. It will help balance out the bad things that will inevitably happen to us, but remember:

‘No matter how much good you do for others/do for the world, one bad deed will put you in fire.

‘While it’s good to be good, keep a cold heart. It will keep you strong when all you have left to depend on is YOU. Shogbo (you hear)’, he added.

This comes after reports say Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois is a bigger puncher than Joshua. Dynamite allegedly knocked over the Nigerian behind closed doors.

 

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko Next Fight Buzz

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gervonta davis

Davis Trainer Zeroes in on Cruz for Next Fight

Fans are eagerly awaiting Gervonta Davis’ next move as he has yet to line up an opponent after scoring a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia in April. Shakur Stevenson might be the ideal matchup, while an encounter with Terence Crawford would be intriguing regardless of the long odds it ever happens.

Davis’ trainer has another fighter in mind.

Calvin Ford told FightHype on Aug. 13 that Isaac Cruz appears to be the most likely candidate at this stage.

Cruz improved his record to 25-2-1 when he earned a split decision over Giovanni Cabrera in July. He’s the No. 6 lightweight in ESPN.com’s divisional rankings.

Davis and Cruz have crossed paths before, with Tank winning a unanimous decision in 2021. While all of the judges scored in favor of Davis, Pitbull made a strong impression with his performance.

A rematch would be a sensible route for Tank if it comes to pass.

Stevenson Opponent Potential Spoiled on Social Media

In a since-deleted tweet Saturday, Keyshawn Davis seemingly referenced a possible fight between Shakur Stevenson and Frank Martin that’s in the works.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said earlier this month the door had closed on Stevenson getting Vasiliy Lomachenko. Cruz and Martin are third and fourth respectively in the WBC rankings, so one of the two could oppose Stevenson for the vacant WBC lightweight title.

Stevenson last fought in April and beat Shuichiro Yoshino by TKO in the sixth round. After that result, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Fitzsimmons listed Martin among the most logical opponents for the 26-year-old when he returned to the ring.

“Neither Stevenson nor unbeaten Detroit-born contender Frank Martin have been venomous when commenting about the other, but the subtle back and forth between the fighters—or in some cases their camps—has made this a fight that could rise above the pack,” Fitzsimmons wrote

Soon, that theory could be put to the test.

Lomachenko vs. Kambosos Back On?

Lomachenko and George Kambosos were all set to fight in June 2022, but Lomachenko withdrew due to the ongoing Russian invasion of his native Ukraine. Arum said the 35-year-old has expressed some misgivings about fighting the rest of this year for the same reason.

Loma eventually secured a date with Jamaine Ortiz that October and won a unanimous decision. Now, he’s looking to rebound from losing a unanimous decision to Devin Haney in May, and there are renewed rumblings he might finally oppose Kambosos.

Whether or not anything comes of that, the rumors didn’t escape the notice of Stevenson.

 

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