Gervonta Davis joins Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and more as latest young American star to struggle in the ring
CBSN
It was only a few years ago when many expected Davis, Haney, Garcia, Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson to take over the sport
When Teofimo Lopez Jr. edged out Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, it seemed the time of the young stars had arrived in and around the lightweight division. Lopez's win was the marquee accomplishment for a crop of extremely talented youngsters that also included Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta "Tank" Davis. Now, nearly four and a half years later, the careers of all of those young stars seems up in the air, and it feels as though none of them have capitalized on their potential, even as some have reached the heights of unified or even undisputed champion status. Gervonta Davis Draw against Lamont Roach, legal trouble outside the ring Ryan Garcia Knocked out by Gervonta Davis. Beat Devin Haney, tested positive for banned substance, result overturned. Legal trouble outside the ring Devin Haney Knocked down twice in no contest to Ryan Garcia Teofimo Lopez Jr. Lost unified lightweight titles to unheralded George Kambosos Shakur Stevenson Failed to secure meaningful matchups after wins over Jamel Herring, Oscar Valdez
Davis was the most recent of the group to step in the ring, fighting to a draw with Lamont Roach Jr. That Davis only managed a draw against a +900 underdog was shocking, but even more shocking was that he was lucky to manage even that result. After being hit by a few Roach punches in the ninth round, Davis took a knee, a by-the-rules knockdown. Instead, the referee decided there was no knockdown after Davis went to his corner to have hair grease wiped from his eye.
Had the knockdown been called correctly, Davis would have suffered the first loss of his career and lost his WBA lightweight title in the process. It was a terrible night for Davis, who has already faced a fair amount of criticism for failing to take on the best available opposition while becoming one of the faces of boxing.
