The Gervonta Davis-Yuriorkis Gamboa fight tonight in Atlanta on Showtime might turn out to be competitive given the way Gamboa looked in his most-recent fight and his experience.
The oddsmakers don’t see it that way, though. The odds have tightened the past week but, according to Forbes.com, they still had Davis as about a 15-1 favorite as of Friday afternoon. That’s almost a sure thing in boxing.
In fact, you can almost bet with complete confidence that Davis will stop Gamboa when they meet tonight in Atlanta on Showtime. The mini-Mike Tyson has 21 knockouts in 22 fights, a knockout ratio of 95.5%. That’s one of the best in the business.
Only a Mexican veteran named German Meraz, who has had more than 100 fights, was able to go the distance with Davis, in a 2014 six-rounder. And Meraz went down twice in that fight.
Sure, Davis is making his debut as a full-fledged lightweight against Gamboa. And the seasoned Cuban is arguably Davis’ toughest test even though he’s 38.
Still, a well-rounded young knockout artist vs. an older fighter hoping to remain relevant is a recipe for a short fight, although Davis doesn’t seem to care how he wins as long as his hand is raised.
“I can’t say whether I’ll get the knockout,” he said, “but I’ve trained very hard and I’ve been focused on the main goal, which is to get the win. I know that Gamboa is a tough opponent and he’ll lay it all on the line. If it goes 12 rounds, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m looking to make this a great fight for me and also for the fans.
“I … haven’t gone past nine rounds and I’m undefeated, so I think that’s a good thing for me. I’ve been doing this for so many years that I believe Gamboa can’t bring anything to the ring that I haven’t seen.”
Gamboa (30-2, 18 KOs) looked like a well-rounded young knockout artist in his last fight, a second-round stoppage of veteran Roman Martinez in July. That’s probably why he got the fight with Davis.
That said, there is a big difference between a shop-worn 36-year-old like Martinez and a 25-year-old juggernaut like Davis.
Gamboa says his experience will work in his favor.
“Gervonta knocking his opponents out and not going past the ninth round is great for him, but I don’t think it has anything to do with my resume,” Gamboa said. “I’ve faced stronger fighters than Gervonta, and I’ve been able to beat them. He’s not going to bring anything I haven’t seen.”