By: Sean Crose
Twenty-six wins. Twenty-four by knockout. Major title belts in three divisions. Gervonta Davis is unquestionably one of the more interesting and talented fighters in the current boxing scene. This Saturday in Brooklyn, the twenty-seven year old Baltimore native will be putting his WBA lightweight title on the line when he faces the hard hitting showman Rolando Romero in a scheduled twelve rounder. Although the twenty-six year old Romero is entering the ring as a clear underdog this weekend, his record of twelve knockout wins in a career of fourteen victories and zero losses is notable. All it takes in boxing is a single punch.
There has been much going on in the life of Davis lately, as he prepares to leave Mayweather Promotions after this weekend’s bout.
“I feel as though it’s my career,” Davis recently told Showtime’s Brian Custer, “so I feel as though I need to be the one to control my career. And it’s time.” Perhaps Davis, who has a unique ability to pack in large crowds wherever he fights (Saturday’s fight will break the Barclay’s Center record for boxing attendance) wants to face some of the bigger names out there in legitimate super fights.
Although it’s often insanely difficult to make “big” matches these days, a Davis throwdown against the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Devin Haney, George Kambosos, Teofimo Lopez, or even Ryan Garcia would be a must see event for fans. First, though, Davis has to get by the outspoken Romero, who has had a notable (to put it mildly) several months himself. The fight with Davis was supposed to occur last December, but sexual assault charges against Romero derailed the match for obvious reasons. Those charges were eventually dropped, leading to the Davis fight becoming a reality. The event will be aired on Pay Per View via Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions.
The question now is whether or not Romero can beat the hard hitting and extremely skilled Davis. He certainly has the power to. He also has a size advantage. Lastly, Davis hasn’t always been entirely dominant. Still, Romero has never faced a fighter of Davis’ caliber before. He’s definitely facing the biggest challenge of his career. In short, Davis is the favorite in this fight for good reason. With that being said, upsets are certainly not unheard of in boxing. Arguably the sport’s biggest star, Canelo Alvarez, was bested by Dmitry Bivol just a few short weeks ago. Again, however, Davis is the favorite here for a reason.
