Tonight marks a long-awaited bout between lightweights Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero, as the former looks to defend his WBA title. Both will be hoping to maintain their so-far unbeaten records, and after almost a year of verbal back-and-forth, the champion will finally be decided.
Their Last Fights
Davis has built up his reputation over the years as a knockout specialist, and with 24 finishes in 26 fights, it’s hard to argue with the facts. This, mixed with the support of trainer and promoter Floyd Mayweather, led to global recognition and stardom. ‘Tank’ is currently ranked the tenth pound-for-pound fighter by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and the world’s best active lightweight by record-website BoxRec.
The 27-year-old beat talented Mexican fighter Isaac Cruz in his last matchup, but not in typical Davis fashion. In what was built up to be a simple contest for the American, he severely struggled with his counterpart’s onslaught.
It has since been confirmed that Davis picked up a hand injury midway through the bout, but the champion had shown a slight reluctance to throw even before that. He fired less than normal, mainly due to Cruz using his relentlessly swinging style against him, but still found a powerful counter uppercut on multiple occasions which saw him 7-2 up after nine rounds.
Despite a late flurry from his opponent, Davis managed to utilise world class head movement and jabbing to ride out towards victory. The judges’ scorecards read 116-112, 115-113, 115-113 in his favour.
Romero also emerged victorious from his last bout, earning a seventh round technical stoppage against step-in fighter Anthony Yigit. A dominative display was somewhat tarnished, however, as the crowd were less than pleased with ‘Rolly’s roughhousing tactics which included elbowing, grappling and pushing the Swede to the floor. He lost a point for this in the fifth, but followed this up with a perfectly-timed hook which dropped his opponent to the canvas.
The bout was waved off in the seventh after the American scored two more knockdowns, claiming his 14th successive professional win.
Tonight’s Event
Tempers have continued to flare in the build-up to tonight’s main event. Yesterday, viewers saw Davis push his ring counterpart off the stage at the final press conference, causing a ruckus to start between their two teams. ‘Tank’ also made multiple comments about Romero’s personality, suggesting he acted like a newcomer in a boxing gym.
Davis told talkSPORT: “We saw how he choked up when the lights are in his face. We’ll see how he reacts when everyone is cheering against him on fight night.
“Some people are made to do it, and some people just talk their way through it. We know what we’re coming here to do on May 28th.
“We’ll see what this guy brings on fight night, under the bright lights. I had to walk through the door when it was time and become the man.
“Come fight night, it’s time to step up to that plate.”
Romero said: “‘Tank’ gets punched a lot. I think he’s going to run right into something big.
“I’ve always been underrated. May 28th, you’re going to see my ring IQ on display. He’s the best fighter at 135 pounds and he’d be the best if he were at 130 pounds. It doesn’t matter to me though. I know what I’m capable of.”
UK and European viewers can watch the card on FITE.tv for a PPV of $12.99, with the main event’s ring walks set to take place at around 4am.
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