IBF champion Gervonta Davis travels to the UK as he looks to stamp his authority on the super-featherweight division.
Following the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr, boxing has been spoilt for choice on who is the next face of boxing.
One man who certainly has the youth to throw his name into the hat is Baltimore hotshot Gervonta Davis. The 22-year old Super Featherweight stunned the boxing public into noticing him when he outclassed then-IBF champion Jose Pedraza before ending the contest ruthlessly in the 7th.
In a division that sees amateur and professional sensation Vasyl Lomachenko sit at the top, Davis has the tools as well as the perfect setting to create his own pedestal in the boxing world.
Davis 17-0(16KO’s) will be far from overawed in the United Kingdom when he faces Liam Walsh at the Copper Box Arena in London. Davis was rescued from the mean streets of Baltimore by the extremely well respected Calvin Ford – and now under the guidance of ‘Money’ himself, Davis looks all set for a fabulous career.
The questions of his experience were called into question before he dismantled Pedraza, but even before this contest has begun, his opponent feels that Davis is set to be exposed.
Walsh 21-0(14KO’s) has yet to put a foot wrong in his career, but at 30-years of age it has taken him a long time to get to this point.
Wins have come comfortably over the likes of Joe Murray (twice), Gary Sykes and Scott Harrison, but he has yet to step into the realms of world class. Victory over a fading Andrey Klimov came over a year after Klimov was outpointed for the vacant IBF strap, but still it was a step in the right direction for the Cromer man.
Walsh is a solid boxer, and despite having a respectable dig will have to rely on his outside game to keep Davis guessing at all times. Walsh may feel it wise to get up close when Davis potentially fades down the stretch, but prior to then an up-close affair is unlikely to favour the home fighter.
Davis can pack a punch, but must avoid loading up on his punches, especially with single shots. They may look flashy but against a more polished opponent they will not prove effective.
If Davis begins to admire his early success then he could be in for a long and hard night as Walsh comes on strong in the second half of the fight. The underdog can box at a consistent pace before stepping on the gas to outwork Davis down the stretch.
Without saying a word, Davis seems to be in the head of Walsh as he closes in on Saturday night. But for all his pre-fight words, Walsh seems to be the one in deep here against Gervonta, not the other way around.
The visitor is far from the finished article, and may well be over hyped, but Walsh is far from being at the right level to expose such question marks over the champion.
Walsh is solid but not spectacular, and seems to be out of his depth against a fighter loaded with quiet confidence.
The softly spoken Davis does not look or sound an intimidating figure, but his fists will do all the intimidating for him in a crunching performance.
After two or three rounds of pawing with the jab, Davis will begin to show the variety to his work that has his fans raving. Walsh will be forced to open up in the second half of the bout, and from there the wheels will begin to fall off.
After a cumulation of short, sharp punches, Davis will eventually land a telling blow. With Walsh in trouble and seemingly lost for routes back into the fight, the visitor will finish proceedings with a volley of punches before Walsh is stopped bravely on his feet in the 8th.
