The great disparity in weight is at the forefront of the announcement Wednesday that cruiserweight Jake Paul will fight Gervonta “Tank” Davis, a world champion lightweight, on Nov. 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
A contracted weight and number of rounds were not announced, nor whether the bout, to be streamed live on Netflix, will be an exhibition as reported. Paul, a YouTube sensation turned mixed martial artist, has been focused on boxing. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) last fought at 199 pounds on June 28 against former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and won a unanimous decision, leading to the WBA ranking him No. 14 at cruiserweight.
Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) has not competed in a weight class heavier than 140 pounds, with the last six at the 135-pound limit. Davis weighed in at 133 pounds when he last fought in March to a majority draw with Lamont Roach Jr. and retained his WBA lightweight belt.
“Gervonta is an angry little elf who has been disrespecting my name for too long,” Paul said in a news release by his promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions.
“Yes, he is one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds,” he continued. “First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath, and you are all going watch me do it, breaking viewership records again. Atlanta. Friday, Nov 14th. The worst night of Gervonta’s career, live only on Netflix.”
Davis, 30, regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, has exchanged a war of words with Paul despite the large gap in weight divisions. Paul, now 28, fought as a heavyweight for a November 2024 match with boxing legend Mike Tyson, now 59, on Netflix that was the most-streamed sporting event with 108 million live viewers, according to the promoter. Paul won by unanimous decision.
“Jake Paul and Tank Davis have redefined the professional combat sports landscape as the top fighters among Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences,” Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said in the news release. “Now they will collide to determine the true face of boxing’s next generation. When Jake called out Tank in August of 2021, everyone laughed and said he would get killed. Since then, Tank has called Jake a clown and easy work. Well 4 years later, here we are. No more call outs and no more name calling. Jake the disrupter vs the Tank destroyer, for the face of boxing crown, live from the heart of the south, Atlanta.”
–Field Level Media
