Mike Tyson has heard the comparisons between himself and Gervonta Davis, and he’s okay with them.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ hung up the gloves in 2005 after 58 professional contests. He won 50, with all but six coming by way of knockout. It’s this record that means most fighters today would love to be mentioned in the same breath as him.
One man who is being compared to Tyson is Gervonta Davis – the 28-year-old southpaw from Baltimore. His undefeated record matches his age, and he boasts 26 stoppages with just two coming by decision.
Much like ‘Iron Mike’, Davis presents a smaller figure than most of his opponents – making his ability to slip punches and throw his own knockout blows all the more impressive.
Promoter Eddie Hearn recently compared ‘Tank’ to Tyson, claiming that he was a ‘bad motherf***er’ just like the heavyweight legend.
Although Davis didn’t take kindly to how the full compliment was worded, TMZ recently caught up with Tyson to ask what he thought of the similarities.
“I think Tank’s a great fighter. He’ll be [a legend] too if he keeps fighting.”
Only time will tell if ‘Tank’ can grace the history books like Tyson has.
A good start would be to face Ryan Garcia next – and until recently it looked very likely that that would indeed be the case. The pair have verbally agreed to put their undefeated records on the line at a catchweight of 136lb in Las Vegas on April 15.
Whilst it was all positive for a moment or two, Garcia’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya has started to set contract deadlines.
With two promoters and broadcasters already a precarious enough relationship to build an event on, fans will hope that the back and forth doesn’t cause any talks to collapse.