After a dominant victory over Ryan Garcia in 2023, Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ career hit a pause due to legal issues that resulted in house arrest and a brief prison sentence. However, fans are now eagerly awaiting his return to the ring, especially after he was elevated to full WBA Lightweight Champion following Devin Haney’s move up in weight. In his most recent bout, Davis made an emphatic statement by stopping the previously undefeated Frank Martin.
Despite this success, finding a new opponent has been challenging. Talks with Vasiliy Lomachenko stalled when Lomachenko expressed a lack of motivation to fight this year, and no deal materialized with Shakur Stevenson either.
Nevertheless, Davis and his team have reserved the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for a fight on November 2. According to coach Ricky Funez, who recently spoke to Pro Boxing Fans, the fight will go ahead, and the opponent has been selected. Funez teased the matchup, saying, “It’s gonna be a secret, but it’s not public yet… It’s gonna be against one of Robert Garcia’s fighters.”
The speculation centers around Jose Valenzuela, who recently defeated Isaac Cruz to claim the WBA Super-Lightweight World Title. Initially, Davis had been targeting a rematch with “Pitbull” Cruz, whom he defeated by unanimous decision in 2021. However, Valenzuela’s victory over Cruz shifted attention to a potential Davis vs. Valenzuela bout.
Despite the promising buzz, Robert Garcia, Valenzuela’s trainer, has stated that his fighter won’t be ready by November, citing the lengthy and grueling camp Valenzuela endured leading up to his last fight. Garcia mentioned that Valenzuela’s return would likely be in 2024.
Other potential opponents could include rising lightweight Raymond Muratalla, although he is already scheduled to fight on November 2 on a Top Rank card, or Brandun Lee, a 29-0 fighter in the super-lightweight division, who has also trained with Garcia.
As the date approaches, fans remain hopeful that “Tank” Davis will step back into the spotlight with a compelling matchup, reigniting his ascent in the boxing world.
