A former world champion is surprisingly in favour of the Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis fight as he slams critics of the contest.
The 14 November fight has been the centre of controversy since the announcement by ‘The Problem Child’ as the current WBA lightweight champion, ‘Tank’ Davis, faces a natural cruiserweight with a 65 lb weight difference between the pair.
This confirmation followed weeks of talks between former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Paul, with Eddie Hearn revealing ‘mismatch’ discussions had taken place.
But the contest never transpired and instead has been replaced by this exhibition bout, which has been blasted by ex-champions.
A former two-division champion has hit back at critics of the Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis fight and declares interest in the fight
Davis has never competed at a weight higher than 140 lbs in his entire professional career, whereas ‘El Gallo’ has fought at heavyweight against Mike Tyson.
While there has been an abundance of critics of the fight, the former two-division world champion, Andre Ward, has subverted expectations and spoken out in favour of the fight.
Ward appeared on the Ariel Helwani show and was asked for his thoughts on the fight, giving surprising support for the bout.
He said: “I’m a purist, but I don’t really have a problem with this. I don’t think that events like this ruin boxing. In fact, I think it helps boxing in a sense. You’re going to have people who dislike it, but they’re still going to tune in.
“If it’s such a travesty, if it’s such a terrible thing to do, why give the engagement on social media? Why give the engagement on Tik Tok and YouTube? Why are so many people going to pull up to that fight and is it going to be sold out? Why are they probably going to do a crazy number on Netflix?
“I don’t think people hate it as much as they say. Boxing is a tough game. Life is a tough game to make money in. If they can figure out a way to get a bag, a big bag, I’m all for it.”
The ‘S.O.G’ did make it clear that he believes ‘Tank’ should have taken the Lamont Roach rematch before facing the influencer, but says it is unknown what was going on behind the scenes.
But the ex-unified champion was excited to see different aspects of the fight and explained why he will be tuning in.
“I’m not against it. I don’t hate it. There’s a part of me that’s interested. I want to see what’s the size discrepancy, the sparring partners for these dudes that’s going to be a crazy look for both of them in the opposite direction,” he said.
“I like good fights and I want to see what’s going to happen. How is Gervonta Davis going to deal with the size discrepancy, and how is Jake Paul going to deal with a guy that’s as small as Gervonta Davis.”
Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis faces one potential issue which could put the fight in jeopardy
While the official announcement has come and gone for the fight, there is a chance it may not happen in November.
The fight is scheduled to take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, but the athletic commission that regulates boxing in the state, GAEC, has yet to approve the contest.
In a report from USA Today, they spoke to Robert A. Sinners, Communications Director for the Secretary of State, who said the application has not been confirmed.
Sinners said: “The commission hasn’t approved this event yet, but it could still be considered at a future meeting.
“I can’t speculate to the board’s motivations for action/non-action.’’
According to the report, the next meeting is scheduled to take place on 18 September, where it is likely the application will be considered, and it will give boxing fans an idea of whether the planned event will go ahead.