Gervonta Davis and Conor Benn were two of the most discussed fighters in the sport last year, often for reasons outside of the ring rather than in.
The bombshell revelation of Benn’s failed doping tests rocked British boxing only days before he was to enter the biggest fight of his career against Chris Eubank Jr. He’s currently in the throes of attempting to prove his innocence.
Davis made headlines earlier this year by signing to fight Ryan Garcia in a much-anticipated matchup. Things were dampened in the final days of 2022, however, when he was arrested for allegedly striking the mother of his child. The woman in question later publicly rescinded her accusations.
Having taken issue with a previous statement of ‘Tank’s, Benn tweeted the American following his arrest to advise him not to ‘throw stones if you live in a glass house.’ Davis bit back immediately, telling the young welterweight to ‘get off them drugs.’
Despite the online back and forth seeming unlikely to morph into a boxing match, Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told DAZN he would make the fight.
He was asked if the jump in weight for Davis – 135 / 140lb to 147lb – would be too daunting.
“No, because Conor Benn’s not really performed at that elite world level yet, but I believe he’s an elite welterweight.”
“I love the fight between Gervonta Davis and Conor Benn. Why not? Gervonta Davis has boxed at lightweight, I’m sure he doesn’t mind fighting up at 147 or close to.”
“Look, Conor Benn’s going to return either early 2023, or mid 2023. That’s fact.”
Statements like these don’t go very far to actually making fights, and if Davis faced off against everybody he beefed with on social media it would be a long queue.
However, the animosity is there, and that’s often half the battle for the powers that be to justify a scrap. With a significant year ahead for both men, this may be one for the future.