Despite gratingly unresolved rivalries with fellow unbeatens Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez, Baltimore puncher Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is set to depart boxing’s hottest weight division and jump to 140lbs to face the WBA’s ‘Regular’ title-holder Mario Barrios.
According to Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, Davis plans to meet Texan Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) in the summer in a disappointing development for those who wanted to see ‘Tank’ in a super-fight with one of his more celebrated rivals at lightweight. The unbeaten Barrios does hold significant physical advantages in height and reach so the bout is not entirely without merit.
In his last bout in October, the ever-accommodating sanctioning body from Panama City allowed Davis to contest WBA titles at 130lbs (Super) and 135lbs (Regular) simultaneously against a much smaller Leo Santa Cruz.
‘Tank’ prevailed with a highlight reel sixth-round KO and appeared to be inching towards a clash with Californian star Garcia later this year as the duo cranked up the war of the words on social media.
But this being boxing, where the path of avoidance is the one true king, Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) will instead pursue a far less meaningful encounter against a secondary champion at super-lightweight, with the added bonus of five less pounds to shed on the scales.
Victory would make Davis a three-weight champion though the validity of that achievement is certainly open to dispute given the widely-ridiculed WBA’s involvement.