Gervonta Davis hasn’t fought three times in a calendar year since 2019. But while his schedule often restricts him to just one or two appearances, 2023 could be a different story.
Everything has gone smoothly for the 28-year-old. Hector Luis Garcia found out that the power everyone talks about is as real as it gets, losing to the Baltimore native via ninth-round stoppage.
Ryan Garcia stepped up to the plate soon after. He huffed, puffed, and constantly called Davis out. Annoyed with his nonstop trash talk, Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) asked Ryan to put his money where his mouth is. With the two officially going at it on April 22nd, Davis punished his man, scoring two knockdowns before closing the show in the seventh.
With a few months remaining in the year, Davis has an opportunity to squeeze one more fight in. There are a ton of lightweight contenders that would love to line up against the hard-hitting star. But, according to Calvin Ford, Davis’ trainer, one familiar name has floated to the top of the list.
“My thing is, Pitbull,” Ford told BoxingScene.com during a recent interview when asked who’s the frontrunner.
Isaac Cruz, otherwise known as “Pitbull,” gave it everything he had against Davis almost two years ago. On relatively short notice in December of 2021, Cruz was given the chance to hand the pound-for-pound luminary his first defeat. Those who were watching expected Davis to eventually find the fight-ending blow. That though, never happened as he was forced to settle for a points win.
Facing Cruz could be big business for team Davis but that doesn’t mean he’s Ford’s preference. The likes of Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson were more desirable options. Neither man, however, is likely to get the call. It isn’t because the interest isn’t there but mostly because both Stevenson and Haney appear to have their plates full.
“Right now, Devin is going up. Shakur and Lomachenko probably do it next year.”
By Hans Themistode