Much to my professional detriment, I’ve never been one to toe a company line. My “side” in any boxing issue has always been the side I see as the truth. And, sometimes, that pisses people off. Actually, it pisses a lot of people off very often.
Whenever I get a message or email from someone telling me how much they love my work or even how they’re my no. 1 fan, I know it’s probably only a matter of time before they start hurling angry insults at me and pledging to never read me again. This has happened way too frequently during my career and surely way more often than it happens to the BWAA big shots who get all the big gigs, but generate all the passion of an article in Crochet World magazine.
When I first started writing, I was known by many as a “Floyd Mayweather guy” because I seemed to be on his “side” during that time. He WAS unjustly criticized and judged by a biased establishment media brimming with double standards. But when I started criticizing certain Mayweather things, the Mayweather people wrote me off.
Like I said, this has happened a lot. Nobody, apparently, wants their sacred cows touched.
Well, there are no sacred cows for me when I’m on the job.
So, ok, now let’s talk about Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
I’m a fan. I love to watch him fight. I love HOW he fights. I love the idea that he’s a real, legitimate grassroots-grown attraction, maybe the only star of his kind in this current US boxing scene.
But I have to say that I took the announcement that Tank would be fighting Lamont Roach on December 14 almost as well as I took my positive COVID test two days before I was set to go to Vegas.
As I wrote over at my other gig (www.boxingnews.co):
“Roach is a good fighter, but he’s only a suitable opponent for Tank Davis if he’s the stay-busy, cool down fight between true top-tier lightweight/junior welterweight opposition. To date, the biggest win on Roach’s resume was his close, WBA super featherweight title-winning effort versus former Davis fall guy, Hector Luis Garcia last November. The 29-year-old’s other biggest fight was a 2019 unanimous decision loss to Jamel Herring in a bid for Herring’s WBO super featherweight title.”
Aside from Roach’s competitive worthiness for Tank, there’s the stone cold truth that he just doesn’t have the kind of star presence one would expect from a legitimate pay-per-view B-side fighting someone who many argue is the “Face of Boxing.”
“Face of Boxing” or not, Davis is definitely one of the top three of four faces of boxing and, legitimately, the American “Face” of US boxing at the moment. And, as such, everyone comes to expect Davis versus another star.
You don’t see the AAA minor league baseball champion Omaha Storm Chasers fast-tracked to a World Series berth. If we’re treating pay-per-view main events as the elite shows they’re supposed to be, then we shouldn’t see a comparatively unknown coming from a ProBoxTV card into a fight for which fans are being asked to pay 80 bucks (or more).
Sorry. We can kinda, sorta overlook questions regarding the level of opposition, as many of Tank’s fights are, technically, against fellow champions or highly-ranked opposition. And, as I said, Roach is a good fighter. But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Tank is, again, fighting someone who NOBODY has been clamoring to see as a pay-per-view rival– as he has done in every one of his pay-per-view shows since he became a PPV headliner, with the exception of the Ryan Garcia fight.
Also from BoxingNews.co:
“Some will argue that Davis is entitled to this particular ‘meh’ headliner. They’ll point to Vasiliy Lomachenko (in)famously passing on a proposed Tank fight because he wasn’t “in the mood.” They’ll then point to Shakur Stevenson, Davis’ other rumored big-fight opponent, moving on to Matchroom Boxing and, as a result, away from a Davis clash.
Admittedly, removing Lomachenko and Stevenson from the list of possible opponents greatly diminishes big-fight options for the three-division world champ. But there should be a “no gimme,” no “who’s that guy?” rule for all top stars competing at Davis’ level, especially considering that fighters only compete once or twice a year these days…and especially, ESPECIALLY considering that Davis and his people intend on slapping a big pay-per-view price tag on the show.”
Fans deserve better than the promise of yet another virtuoso performance. And, yeah, Tank Davis deserves a bigger, better showcase for his unique talent.
Got something for Magno? Send it here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com