By: Hans Themistode
As of late, Gervonta Davis has had the propensity to move up in weight.
Earlier this year in late June, Davis opted to move up two weight divisions to take on a much larger man in Mario Barrios. Despite giving up several inches in height and reach, Davis had little to no trouble dealing with the Texas native, dropping him a total of three times before ultimately stopping him in the 11th.
With the win, Davis added the WBA 140 pound “Regular” title to his collection. Since then, rumors have surfaced of a possible showdown between the Baltimore native and former unified welterweight champion, Keith Thurman. In order for the two to lock horns, Davis would have to once again move up in weight.
While things are far from official, promoter of Davis and CEO of Mayweather Promotions in Leonard Ellerbe, has not only expressed a willingness to make their showdown a reality but he’s also supremely confident in the end result.
“I’d make that fight in two seconds,” said Ellerbe on his social media account when discussing a possible Thurman vs. Davis matchup. “Tank would knock him the f*ck out right now.”
Although Ellerbe has shown absolutely no hesitancy in what would ultimately take place between the pair, Calvin Ford, head trainer of Davis, was a bit more reluctant.
“I’m not as confident because you can’t sleep on Thurman,” said Ford during an interview with FightHype.com. “I’ve been knowing Thurman since the amateurs.”
Since unifying welterweight titles against Danny Garcia in March of 2017, Thurman has suffered several setbacks due to injury. Over a four-year span, Thurman has stepped into the ring only twice and in his most recent appearance in 2019, he suffered the first defeat of his career to Manny Pacquiao. The now 32-year-old was floored in the opening round but managed to rally back. Ultimately though, Thurman came up just short, losing via split decision.
With his record now blemished, Ford believes there’s a clear blueprint to defeat the former unified 147-pound titlist.
“I know how to get past him. In the words of Floyd Mayweather, you’ve been beat, so you know how to be beat.”