Veteran promoter Bob Arum has seen so much in his time, and he’s not precisely fawning over Gervonta Davis lately. After Davis scraped to a controversial draw in opposition to Lamont Roach on March 1, Arum wasted no time giving his verdict: Davis appeared weak, unimpressive, and, in his phrases, “type of extraordinary.”
“I assumed Roach gained the struggle,” Arum informed Sean Zittel. “It was an in depth struggle, however Davis has to begin taking boxing significantly. This isn’t only a media factor.”
Translation: The glitz, the social media drama, and the celeb entourage aren’t successful fights anymore — and Arum’s not shopping for the hype.
The Combat Everybody’s Nonetheless Speaking About (For the Flawed Causes)
Davis (30–0–1, 28 KOs) remained technically undefeated — emphasis on technically — however most who watched the struggle noticed it for what it was: a flat, shaky efficiency from a fighter who used to steamroll opponents.
He even took a knee in spherical 9, and someway the referee determined that wasn’t price scoring. Lamont Roach summed it up finest:
“I used to be confused when he appeared on the ref, however when he took the knee, I used to be like… that’s a 10-8. Easy.”
As an alternative, the judges gave us a draw. Due to course they did.
Arum’s Actual Agenda? Dimension Him Up for the High Rank Hit Listing
Make no mistake: Arum’s not commenting out of idle curiosity. He’s bought a secure of hungry younger fighters — Keyshawn Davis, Abdullah Mason, Raymond Muratalla — and he’s licking his lips on the considered feeding certainly one of them Tank Davis, particularly now that the aura appears to be fading.
“I wished to get a great have a look at him as a result of he’s been talked about as a doable opponent,” Arum stated.
Let’s be sincere — the previous Tank who worn out competitors with single punches? That man didn’t present up in opposition to Roach. As an alternative, we bought a fighter who appeared confused, sluggish, and appeared shocked to be in an actual struggle.
What’s Subsequent for Davis? A Rematch? A Circus Combat? Who Is aware of
So what does Davis do now? Return and truly beat Roach correctly? Or chase one other pointless celeb showdown for a fast paycheck? Apparently, Jake Paul’s identify has already been floated. As a result of why concentrate on belts when you’ll be able to money out in clown fights?
He might additionally chase a Ryan Garcia rematch, however after Garcia dropped him and ran off to the nightclub, that rematch could be extra about TikTok clout than boxing talent.
Bob Arum stated what many already thought however didn’t need to say: Davis is drifting. He’s not feared anymore. He’s not sharp. And if he doesn’t begin taking the game significantly, somebody’s going to take that “0” off his file the correct method — not by means of questionable attracts, however with a clear, decisive beating.
The clock’s ticking.
