By: Hans Themistode
Like most of the boxing world, head trainer Calvin Ford finds a showdown between Gervonta Davis, the multiple division titlist he’s trained for well over a decade, and Vasiliy Lomachenko, a very intriguing bout.
Although Davis has moved up and down in weight over the past few years, the Baltimore native appears to be placing his flag at 135 pounds permanently. Following an 11th round stoppage win over Mario Barrios in June of 2021 at 140 pounds, Davis returned to the lightweight division to defend his secondary WBA title against Isaac Cruz.
In what turned out to be a difficult, back and forth battle, Davis ultimately prevailed, winning a close unanimous decision. With the boxing calendars of Davis and Lomachenko currently wide open, Ford is anxiously waiting for a showdown between the pair to materialize.
“We waiting on that fight,” said Ford during an interview with ESNEWS. “We waiting on that fight.”
Lomachenko, 33, has successfully worked his way back up the 135 pound ladder after suffering a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Teofimo Lopez in 2020. The former two-time Olympic gold medalist systemically broke down highly ranked contender Masayoshi Nakatani, stopping him in the ninth round of their June 2021, showdown.
Six months later, Lomachenko continued his relentless comeback story. In front of a fairly packed crowd in Madison Square Garden, the Ukrainian star toyed with former titleholder Richard Commey. Lomachenko scored a knockdown in the seventh round and spent the rest of their contest carefully dissecting his man to win a wide unanimous decision.
Presently, Lomachenko is hopeful that he’ll land a showdown against unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. next. If the newly crowned Australian champion opts to face someone else, Ford urges the pound-for-pound star to look in the direction of Davis. If both teams are ultimately able to hammer out a deal, Ford believes that their contest would make everyone in the boxing community smile from ear to ear.
“It’s going to be a chess match. That’s like a mega-fight, a fight that people been waiting on.”