Paulie Malignaggi lit into Gervonta Davis for his profession behavior of preventing weak opposition, selecting to not struggle sure guys that had been a menace to beating him, like Vasily Lomachenko. Tank didn’t present curiosity in preventing Lomachenko years when he was youthful, however after we turned 37, he abruptly began pushing for the struggle.
Like a whole lot of followers, Malignaggi doesn’t like that Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) is selecting to defend his WBA light-weight title in opposition to a 130-pounder Lamont Roach on December 14th reasonably than one of many high fighters from the 135-lb division. That makes Tank look weak and fewer than brave.
Malignaggi feels that boxing must get its act collectively in order that fighters are pressured to struggle one of the best. After all, if that had been to occur, the networks would wish to associate with it as a result of fighters and their promoters would discover a option to circumvent sanctioning our bodies and commissions in the event that they tried to pressure them to face high quality opposition and be run like a real sport, just like the NFL and NBA.
Boxing now could be extra of a sport the place promoters choose beatable opposition for his or her fighters to create pretend stars. Tank Davis is an ideal instance of a manufactured pretend star.
“They’ve extra [courage] than Gervonta Davis, who’s been at this endlessly, and he’s preventing a 130-pounder, who simply received his first world title protection on PPV,” mentioned Paulie Malignaggi to Boxing Social about Gervonta Davis displaying much less braveness selecting to defend in opposition to tremendous featherweight Lamont Roach than former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov preventing Serhii Bohachuk subsequent in a dangerous struggle for each on December twenty first.
If Tank Davis had taken the sorts of dangers along with his profession the way in which Japanese European fighters do, he would have been crushed a very long time in the past, and he wouldn’t be the low-level PPV attraction that he’s as we speak. If he had fought Lomachenko years in the past, he’d have been crushed and certain would have misplaced to Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda, Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney.
“There’s no customary right here. There are completely different requirements for various fighters. We have to do all of it collectively to pressure one of the best fights doable. He wished the Lomachenko struggle when Lomachenko was outdated. He didn’t need the Lomachenko struggle when he was in his prime,” mentioned Malignaggia about Tank Davis not eager to face Loma when he was nonetheless within the zenith of his profession. It was solely after Loma turned 37 that he abruptly started displaying curiosity in preventing him.
“If Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson had been like Lomachenko, this struggle would occur. I feel Gervonta Davis doesn’t need to struggle him,” mentioned Malignaggi.
