Why fights between rising stars, including Gervonta Davis, still feel like dreams instead of realities

Hopes of a reinvention of the 'Four Kings' era in the 1980s are quickly fading as fighters Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia can't get deals done

The late 2010s and early 2020s saw the emergence of a deep pool of talented fighters from 130 to 135 pounds. Understandably, this set boxing fans' minds racing with thoughts of all the great fights that could come to fruition in the coming years. Unfortunately, even as boxing has experienced a boom period of high-level matchups and fights to unify championships, very few of those fights have involved those young fighters around the lightweight division have materialized in the ring.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia made up the core of the youth movement around the lightweight division. To date, the only fight that has taken place involving two of those fighters was Davis vs. Garcia in early 2023. Davis won the fight by knockout with a shot to the body and the fight did big business at the live gate and on pay-per-view.

Lopez and Stevenson, both 26 years old, have both claimed to "retire" at various points in their careers. With Lopez claiming he was stepping away from the sport after his most recent fight, a dominant win over former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor to claim the WBO title at the weight.