By Chris Williams
December 9, 2021
Source: Boxing News 24
Photo / Image: Ryan Hafey
Showtime President of sports Stephen Espinoza says it makes “no sense” for Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and George Kambosos Jr. to take a fight between them to Australia because it makes more money in the U.S. Kambosos (20-0, 10 KOs), who recently became the undisputed lightweight champion with a win over Teofimo Lopez on November 27th, letting the ‘Four Kings’ that his next fight will be back in his home country of Australia.
If one of the top guys – Tank, Teofimo, Ryan Garcia, Vasily Lomachenko, or Devin Haney – wants to fight Kambosos, they must come to Australia and fight him in front of his boxing fans.
Kambosos has talked a lot about his next fight bringing in 80,000 fans, a number that he appears to have pulled out of thin air, guessing with no basis in reality. If Kambosos and his promoters continue to insist on fighting in Australia, they can forget about Tank Davis because he probably won’t agree to the fight.
Kambosos fighting WBC lightweight champion Haney probably won’t bring in much money. “This one you couldn’t ask for more,” said Showtime president of sports Stephen Espinoza to Fighthype on Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’s fight last Sunday against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “It was the toughest challenge of Tank’s career, and they were both right. Tank and Isaac said the same thing. A star was born tonight, and that star is Isaac Cruz.
“Look, I’d love to see that fight, but Australia doesn’t make no sense,” said Espinoza when asked about his thoughts on a fight between Tank Davis and George Kambosos next. “I mean, it doesn’t. If they want to put up the same kind of money that is generated here [in the U.S], then the fight can happen. The business determines things like that. “It’s great to go there, but if they can generate that kind of revenue, then they can attract that level of fights,” Espinoza said about taking the Gervonta vs. Kambosos fight to Australia. “That’s Tank’s decision, though. If he wants to go back and fight, but there’s a reason this fight wasn’t in Australia, the Lopez [vs. Kambosos] fight. They had the opportunity to bid on it, and they didn’t get it. “So the reality if he [Kambosos wants to fight in Australia, then that’s great for him, but we all know the money fights are here in the U.S.
Tank Much Stronger Than Haney
“Stylistically, there’s one difference and the difference in power,” said Espinosa in assessing the difference between Tank Davis and Devin Haney. “Look, Devin is a skilled boxer, and Tank is a skilled boxer, but there’s one thing you can’t teach, and that’s natural power.
“That’s what distinguishes Tank from not only Devin but the rest of the division,” said Espinoza.
It’s only apparent that Gervont is a MUCH bigger puncher than Devin Haney now, and he’s fighting at a higher level.
If you look past Tank’s last fight against the tough Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz for a minute, he’s been performing at a higher level than what we’ve seen from Haney in his career. Haney is still expected to be the one that lands the fight against Kambosos because his promoter Eddie Hearn is acting quickly and actively courting the Australian fighter. Floyd Mayweather Jr’s tendency to keep Tank and his other fighters in his promotional company fighting in-house opposition will result in Gervanta missing out on a golden opportunity to fight Kambosos for his four titles.
It doesn’t matter that Tank says he has no interest in Kambosos’ four belts. Just beating him would be enough to take Gervonta’s popularity to another level, making him more money each time he fights on Showtime PPV.
Oddly, Mayweather doesn’t recognize the potential gain for Tank and his company by letting him fight Kambosos. Does Mayweather not care? If Mayweather doesn’t care, Tank should because he’s the one that is ultimately losing out.
Mayweather has already made his vast fortune, so it’s no skin off his teeth that Gervonta misses out on a very winnable fight that would increase his popularity against Kambosos. The insular way that Mayweather matches Tank is pure poison and is stunting his career to the extremes.
Hearn In A RUSH To Make Kambosos Vs. Haney
“George Kambosos has just won the title, and he’s entitled to a defense,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV in reacting to the news of Bob Arum saying that Vasily Lomachenko will be the WBO mandatory to Kambosos if he beats Richard Commey on Saturday.
“He’s [Kambosos] certainly entitled to make a fight for the undisputed championship [against WBC belt-holder Devin Haney],” Hearn continued. “You don’t get a lot of time to make these kinds of fights.
“So really, we must make this fight [Kambosos vs. Haney], and we must make it as soon as possible. In March or April, let’s do a major fight in Australia. Let Kambosos have his moment of history in Australia, and also, let’s solve the undisputed problem for good.
“Devin is the only fight that can tick both those boxes,” said Hearn in sounding like a salesman. “So we got to get moving, speak to Kambosos’ promoter] Lou DiBella, speak to Peter Kahn, Kambosos and Ferocious Promotions and try and move forward with that fight. “Possibly, but not at the moment, I don’t think,” said Hearn when asked if the World Boxing Association will order Kambosos to defend his WBA ‘Super World’ title against regular 135-lb champion Gervonta Davis in a move to consolidate the titles with.
“It certainly hasn’t been called. I can’t see him [Kambosos] dropping the belt either, but they [WBA] could still order that fight. They can do whatever they want, but ultimately, we can make Haney against Kambosos as long as we move at a decent pace.
“Yeah, I watched it. I was in the airport, and someone had it on, and we were flying back,” said Hearn when asked if he wanted Tank’s performance last Sunday against challenger Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz.
“Isaac Cruz did what we knew he was capable of, which was to be tough. I don’t think it was a scintillating performance, but Tank’s a very good fighter. So yeah, I don’t know what the root is.
“They [Tank] keep talking about Lomachenko and Haney and all this, and they’re just going to fight Rolly Romero [next]. It’s just what they do. He’s a very good fighter,” said Hearn about Davis.
Comments