Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Gervonta Davis
December 28, 2019 at 10:00 PM EST
The Line: The Line: Gamboa +1955 / Davis -3145 — Over/Under:
Gervonta Davis and Yuriorkis Gamboa fight Saturday at the State Farm Arena for the World Boxing Association World Light Title.
Gervonta Davis enters this fight with a 22-0 record that includes 21 knockouts. This will be Davis’ fourth fight since 2018, and he’s coming off a July win over Ricardo Nunez. Davis is coming off another quick fight that was stopped in the second round after landing a pair of viscous left hands. Davis has now seen four of his last five fights end in the third round or earlier. Davis is a 25-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’5” with a 67-inch reach. Davis is simply a pitbull in the ring with extremely heavy hands and a pressure style that is devastating once he gets his timing down. With knockouts in each of his last 13 fights, it’s quite clear what to expect from Tank. Davis is an aggressive boxer from Baltimore who brings a different energy to the ring that it’s tough for his opponent to match. Davis is also quite underrated for his defense, as he has solid footwork and terrific head movement that allows him to get in and out rather quickly. Davis is at his best when boxing on the inside and simply goes to work once his opponent is backed up on the ropes. This will be Davis’ first career fight in Georgia.
Yuriorkis Gamboa enters this fight with a 30-2 record that includes 18 knockouts. Gamboa has won seven of his last eight fights, and he’s coming off a July win over Roman Martinez. Gamboa has won each of his last four fights since his 2017 loss to Robinson Castellanos, and he’s fresh off a second round knockout after landing an impressive combination. Gamboa is 38 years old, stands at 5’5”, has a 65-inch reach and an orthodox stance. Gamboa is a respectable fighter from Cuba who has been in the ring with Terrence Crawford, and he has notable wins over Jorge Solis and Orlando Salido. Gamboa has always had the skills to be a household name, as the hand speed, power, footwork and quickness is all there. Even as he approaches 40 years old, Gamboa is not a pushover by any means and still has that sharpness in his hands. The concern is that Gamboa has always lacked a defensive skillset, as never keeps his hands up and often one hand drops as he throws with the other. It’s actually surprising Gamboa has had this much success through his career, as his aggressive offensive style should get him cracked more than it has. This will be Gamboa’s first career fight in Georgia.
Gamboa is probably the best fighter Davis has faced up to this point, and his hand speed could give Tank some trouble. Do not think this is going to be a walk in the park based on what we’ve seen in past fights or the age gap. This won’t be Davis beating up on the old guy. With that said, Gamboa can’t drop his hands against Tank and expect to survive 12 rounds. He just can’t. Davis should feast on counters and it will take just one clean shot to put him away. This will be a competitive fight and should last longer than the typical three rounders we’ve been getting lately, but the result won’t change.
Davis by KO / TKO.