Gervonta Davis delivered another spectacular performance on Saturday night in Las Vegas, stopping Ryan Garcia in seven rounds in a scheduled 12-pound 136-pound fight.
The victory underscored “Tank’s”‘ place among the best handful of fighters in the world.
The next step in the career of Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) should be the most difficult, at least on paper: a meeting with one of the top, more-established 135-pounders.
Here are the five best possible opponents for the rising star from Baltimore.
SHAKUR STEVENSON
Record: 20-0 (10 KOs)
Stevenson might be the most skillful boxer on the planet. The former 130-pound titleholder has been untouchable, with the natural gifts and ability to pick his opponents apart while taking almost nothing in return. And the 25-year-old southpaw from New Jersey hasn’t been fighting bums, with Joet Gonzalez, Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez among his victims. Davis, a superb technician himself, can box with anyone but he generally relies on big punches to get the job done. He could find it difficult to land cleanly against Stevenson, who might be able to stick-and-move his way to surviving 12 rounds and winning a decision. Stevenson’s one liability is ordinary punching power, which could work against him in a meeting with Davis. Can the fight be made? Davis and Stevenson are aligned with competing outlets. But so were Davis and Garcia. If Davis wants the fight to happen, it’ll happen.
DEVIN HANEY
Record: 29-0 (15 KOs)
Haney is the undisputed champion but not necessarily the No. 1 135-pounder. The 24-year-old from San Francisco also is one of the best technicians in the business, although probably not as good as Stevenson. And he punches no harder than Stevenson does, which would add to the challenge he’d face against a complete fighter like Davis. However, Haney shouldn’t be underestimated, even against Davis. He has big fight experience, including back-to-back victories over George Kambosos (the first in which he won all four titles). And he’s a particularly big 135-pounder, which is always a plus. Negotiations between Davis and Haney also could be tricky. However, Davis will be highly motivated to fight for the undisputed championship, whether it’s against Haney or Vasiliy Lomachenko. Haney and Lomachenko are scheduled to meet on May 20.
VASILIY LOMACHENKO
Record: 17-2 (11 KOs)
Lomachenko is a wildcard. The boxing wizard from Ukraine could make a fool out of almost anyone once upon a time but he’s 35 now. We’ll find out whether he still has it when he fights Haney. Many wrote Lomachenko off when he lost his 135-pound titles to Teofimo Lopez by a unanimous decision in October 2020. However, he fought with an injured shoulder in that bout. He has since delivered convincing victories over Masayoshi Nakatani (TKO 9), Richard Commey (UD) and Jamaine Ortiz (UD), leading some to believe that he still has plenty to give in this sport. That could be bad news for Davis should they meet in the ring. A Lomachenko at the top of his game could frustrate anyone, even a top pound-for-pounder. Competing entities could pose problems in this one too. However, if Lomachenko beats Haney, Davis will want to fight him.
FRANK MARTIN
Record: 17-0 (12 KOs)
Martin isn’t as established as the big four – Davis, Stevenson, Haney and Lomachenko – but he has shown signs of being a special fighter. He has impressive God-given gifts, polished skills and solid punching power. He had a major breakthrough in his most recent fight, a dominating unanimous decision over previously unbeaten and respected Michel Rivera in December that lifted the 28-year-old from Detroit to elite status. He’s ranked in the Top 7 of all four major sanctioning bodies, which means a big fight is around the corner if he continues to win. Could he push Davis? That would be difficult without much big-fight experience but he has the tools to give anyone problems. Plus, he and Davis are both aligned with PBC and Showtime, which would make negotiations relatively easy.
ISAAC CRUZ
Record: 24-2-1 (17 KOs)
Cruz has already tangled with Davis, giving a good account of himself in a unanimous decision loss in December 2021. So good that he arguably earned the right to meet Davis again. The squat, powerful Mexican might’ve revealed the formula that could give Davis trouble, unrelenting pressure combined with the ability to take hard punches. Cruz never stopped coming. Davis said afterward that he reinjured an injury to his left (lead) hand in the fight, which was a significant handicap. Maybe a healthy, two-handed Davis dominates Cruz, maybe not. One thing is certain: After the first fight, Cruz would step into the ring with a lot of confidence. That’s half the battle against intimidating fighters like Davis. I don’t know whether Davis would be interested in giving Cruz another shot but the fight would be easy to make because they share a manager.
Next two: William Zepeda, an aggressive, powerful volume puncher; Keyshawn Davis, the gifted but relatively inexperienced Olympic silver medalist.
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