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Gervonta Davis appears more than willing to call Devin Haney on his presumed bluff.
Davis, the 27-year-old, hard hitting lightweight from Baltimore, made it clear in an interview, held last month at a press conference to announce his fight with Rolando Romero this Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, that he would be willing to face Haney, the WBC lightweight titlist from Oakland, should Haney come out victorious in his next fight.
Haney, 23, will attempt to become the youngest undisputed lightweight champion on June 4 when he faces WBA, WBO, and IBF champion George Kambosos at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
Davis responded to a query by his interviewer, Brian Custer on The Last Stand Podcast, regarding some remarks Haney made about Davis’ ambition. A common criticism levied at the Baltimore native, a multi-city box office attraction, is that he has not fought anybody of consequence thus far in his career. Moreover, Haney referenced speculation that Davis no longer wants to be under the thumb of his longtime promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“If you don’t care to go and make the big fights happen, what’s the point of even leaving your current situation,” Custer recounted Haney as saying. “Might as well stay there and be loyal to Floyd.”
Davis fired back in kind, calling Haney an “email champ” a reference to the fact that Haney was elevated to that position by sanctioning body fiat rather than winning the belt in the ring.
“He’s an email champ,” Davis said. “He’s fighting because somebody mailed him the belt. Did that ever happen in boxing? He’s talking crazy. C’mon. He said all that.”
In the same interview, Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) confirmed that his last contracted fight under MayweatherPromotions will be with Romero. Davis, who is still backed by Premier Boxing Champions, suggested that his impending free agency will make it easier to form a fight with Haney, a Top Rank client. Davis left no ambiguity as to his desire to meet Haney inside the ring.
“If you win, I’m now out of my contract, let’s make that fight happen,” Davis said. “Since you were willing to talk crazy. Let’s do that. I wanna fight you, if you win, Devin Haney.”
