Of all the potential match-ups to be made in the sport, a lightweight unification showdown between Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko is right amongst the cream of the crop. After both men secured impressive wins in recent weeks, it seems as though the proposed contest is progressing nicely.
Vasyl Lomachenko returned to the lightweight throne when he knocked out George Kambosos Jr. last month, putting an end to a three-and-a-half year run without a world title to his name by picking up the IBF strap.
That victory has put ‘Loma’ well on his way to securing his dream of an undisputed title, although his fellow champions are of supreme quality, none more so that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Davis made a first successful defence of his WBA title as stopped Frank Martin in Las Vegas at the weekend, landing a peach of a left-uppercut to split the guard of ‘The Ghost’ before finishing the brutal two-punch combination with a left-hook that sent Martin crashing into the canvas.
Immediately, there have been demands for ‘Tank’ to attempt to unify the belts at 135lbs the most in-demand opponent that continues to be mentioned is the slick Ukrainian technician, who he was been linked to fighting since 2018 – when they were both campaigning at super-featherweight.
Co-trainer of Gervonta Davis, Kenny Ellis has now addressed the rumours on Instagram and admitted that he has begun studying ‘Loma’ before issuing a confident prediction for the bout.
“Because of the strong rumours in the air:
“Phase #1 – I am studying up Lomachenko, if and when this fight happens, please let him come with his angles and hopefully he will let Timothy Bradley work his corner so he can pick up Loma’s shoes when Tank knocks him out of his socks.”
Meanwhile, Bob Arum told Boxing Scene that Lomachenko is interested in the fight and added that talks could begin as early as this week, before explaining why he is both impressed by Davis and more interested in the prospect of that fight than he is with a potential Shakur Stevenson unification affair.
“Very good, powerful kid, good puncher, and he wasn’t fighting a tomato can.
“We’re up for that fight. Lomachenko’s up for that.
“When we sit down, we will see if it’s feasible, but Lomachenko would like to do that fight.
“Davis has established a position where he’s good at the box office … a fight with Davis would produce more money than a fight with Shakur.
“Everything’s up in the air. There’s a lot of possibilities, and possibilities are good, because they keep everyone busy.”
As for the other two belts, Denys Berinchyk pulled off the upset against Emmanuel Navarrete to become WBO champion last month and called out WBC title-holder Shakur Stevenson during the aftermath to open the door for a potential undisputed title clash in 2025 against the winner of Tank-Loma.
Before talks can progress, Stevenson must first make a first defence of his belt against Germany’s Artem Harutyunyan, whom he fights on July 6th in Newark.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.