Who Will Face Gervonta Davis Next? The Anticipation Builds!

Gervonta Davis stopped Ryan Garcia via a seventh-round KO earlier this year, thus solidifying himself as one of the most talented fighters in professional boxing.

As the Baltimore, Maryland, native confidently told Showtime Boxing’s Jim Gray, ‘I’m the ‘face of boxing’” Whether or not this sentiment exaggerated his star power, there’s no denying that he’s at least proven himself to be a competitor capable of headlining pay-per-views while defeating the competition with no questions asked.

Following his domineering success in a contest that was considered a ‘close bout,’ the first question that surfaced after was, “Who’s next for Garcia?”.

With such a lopsided beatdown over the formerly unbeaten Garcia at 136 lbs, it’s predicted that Davis will return to lightweight – arguably the most talent-stacked division in boxing. There isn’t a shortage of elite-level options for his next PPV, but which opponent makes for the most intriguing matchup?

Calvin Ford’s Opinion

The list of potential opponents for Davis is long, but a recent interview with his trainer, Calvin Ford, named Devin Haney the fighter he wants ‘Tank’ to fight next. 

From a betting perspective, Tank vs. Haney would undoubtedly cause a rush of bettors to the window. And it’s easy to experience the intensity of the Baltimore fighter as he strives to capture all the belts while enjoying the enhanced experience offered by top Maryland sportsbooks. 

However, if a Davis/Haney belt isn’t made, Ford believes a rematch with Isaac Cruz is possible. 

Davis and Cruz previously crossed paths in 2021 in what resulted in a 12-round war. Davis’ hand was raised, but Cruz gave ‘Tank’ one of the most challenging bouts of his career to date and proved he could hang with the top of the lightweight division.

Who does Davis want?

We should probably ask, ‘Who does Davis want to fight?’. This question was recently answered when Tank threw a curveball when talking with Fight Hub. 

“I like – who’s that guy from Japan? Inoue? Yeah,” Tank commented. “That would be a fun fight, and it would be technical. But I think I would be too big for him. But it would be like a dream fight – I like that fight.” 

This is a dream fight most boxing fans will support. But the reality is, it’s unlikely to surface given the weight classes they’ve fought in (Inoue won his first world title at light-flyweight, and Tank obtained his first title at super-featherweight).

However, don’t lose all doubt because stranger things have happened. We should also note that both men stand identically at 5’5” and present a similar reach of 67.5” and 67”, respectively. 

More realistically, but still exciting, the potential of seeing Tank face-off versus the likes of Shakur Stevenson. But the fact that Davis mentioned Inoue’s name could a catchweight bout potentially surface? Inoue will face Stephen Fulton later this month, but is 122 lbs the highest Inoue can or will ever go? Only time will tell.   

Touching back on Stevenson, I think most boxing purists would agree this bout offers much intrigue. The 25-year-old recently sailed through Shuichiro via TKO and is now 20-0. Many believe Stevenson is the most talented in this division, making him the perfect opponent for Tank to raise his stock further. 

And then, there’s George Kambosos, who’s scheduled to fight Maxi Hughes on July 22. But if Davis steps back into the ring this year, this won’t be a viable opponent with such a small turnaround available.

Regardless of who’s next in line for Davis, his position as a high-profile fighter has been secured. After taking $5 million from the Garcia bout, he’s entered seven-figure territory that will only head in an upwards trajectory with each success.

Whichever return fight Davis chooses following his success over the incredibly popular Garcia, It will be easy to exceed the $5m mark by competing against Haney, Stevenson, Kambosos, or Lomachenko.