The return of Gervonta Davis feels imminent but whether the WBA lightweight champion-in-recess will fight at 135lbs remains to be seen, with the team of his expected lightweight opponent claiming that ‘Tank’ is ducking them.
A three-division champion, Davis had held the WBA title since late 2023 and defended it twice, knocking out Frank Martin and then drawing with Lamont Roach Jr in his most recent outing, over a year ago.
However, back in January, Davis lost his status as champion and was instead named as the champion-in-recess, meaning that he would likely get the opportunity to regain his belt upon his first fight back at 135lbs.
Although, despite rumours that the Baltimore-born knockout artist will campaign at super-lightweight and rematch Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz when he returns, no new lightweight champion has yet been crowned, nor has a vacant title bout been ordered.
Floyd Schofield is currently the man poised to benefit from the situation, but his team is becoming increasingly frustrated at how slow the process has moved, awaiting either being elevated to champion or ordered for a title bout – against Davis or an alternate contender.
Speaking to Mill City Boxing, the father and trainer of ‘Kid Austin’, Floyd Schofield Snr, stated his belief that Davis is ducking his son and revealed plans to fight a weight-drained version of ‘Tank’ in their title challenge.
“You gotta let the belt go! They violating the law, the federal law, right now. Do I think that ‘Kid’ is ready for ‘Tank’? ‘Kid’ is ready for all of them. There is a reason why Tank said, ‘I will never get in the ring with that kid. There is a reason that his coach got online and said that Tank will never get in the ring with him.
“Tank said it out his own mouth and Tank’s coach said it online in an interview and said that, ‘the reason Tank said that is because he looks at him like a big brother’. The thing is, Tank cannot come to 135 and fight Kid, Tank would be at a disadvantage.”
“We want to suck him dry and fight him at 135, that is the best advantage that we have right now. If we let Tank get a tune-up, he would be on fire and we let Tank get used to that weight? Nah!
“He is about 175lbs right now, he has got to suck all the way back down to 135 and prepare in that ring to fight and the WBA just put in that thing [rehydration clause] where he can only go up to 152.”
Negotiations for Davis-Cruz II are believed to be ongoing, once confirmation of that event is announced, the WBA will assumably make an announcement of their own as they seek to determine a new lightweight champion.