Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s offered Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis an eight-figure purse to face British fighter Conor Benn next and is hoping he can make the deal. It would be a massive weight differential between the two.
20-Pound Weight Differential
Here’s the catch: Tank Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) will need to go up to 147 to face the unbeaten Benn (23-0, 14 KOs), and he could be outweighed by as much as 20 lbs for the fight.
Benn rehydrated to 171 lbs after weighing 150 1/2 lbs for his fight against Peter Dobson earlier this month on February 3rd. If the fight gets made, Benn will likely do the same in a fight against Tank Davis, enjoying a massive weight advantage over the Baltimore native.
Tank vs. a Light Heavyweight Benn?
“147 pounds,” said Hearn to Boxing Social when asked about what weight the fight between Conor Benn and Tank Davis would be fought at. Gervonta’s boxed at 140 before. Gervonta’s boxed at 136, so 147 pounds.”
Asking Tank to go up to 147 wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that Benn is probably going to be rehydrating to 170+ lbs again, making him a light heavyweight on the night when he steps foot in the ring.
I’m sure Tank wouldn’t mind scooping up some of the Matchroom or Saudi money for a fight with the terribly flawed Conor Benn, but what he might have a problem with is facing a 170-pounder and being outweighed by a billion pounds on the night. Tank obviously likes money, but asking him to fight a guy that weighs as much as light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev is a bit much, isn’t it?
Would Hearn want Benn to step inside the ring with cruiserweight Jai Opetaia for a 12-round contest if he were offered a bunch of money to face the former IBF champion?
Dangerous Precedent: Brook vs. Golovkin
Hearn might have flashbacks to what happened with his fighter, welterweight Kell Brook, when he moved up to middleweight to challenge champion Gennadiy Golovkin in 2016, and had his career shortened by suffering an eye injury in a fifth round knockout loss.
“An eight-figure offer with plenty of upside. I want to try and make the fight. We’re trying to make it work,” said Hearn about the offer that he made for Tank Davis to fight Benn.