Gervonta Davis destroys Walsh in three

By Showtime Boxing - 05/21/2017 - Comments

Gervonta Davis went on the road in the first defense of his IBF Junior Lightweight World Championship and made a statement with an emphatic third-round TKO of previously undefeated local favorite Liam Walsh in the opening bout of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from Copper Box Arena in London.

The southpaw Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) set the pace from the opening bell, connecting seemingly at will with a strong left hook. In the third round, America’s youngest world champion floored Walsh with a strong left after a series of brutal connecting combos on the inside. Walsh got up, but the onslaught continued seconds later and referee Michael Alexander stopped the championship bout at 2:11, with Walsh defenseless and on unsteady legs.

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“Tonight we were in the groove,” Davis said. “I think he was hurt pretty bad. The ref did his job and it was just a matter of time. I used my boxing IQ tonight and picked my shots, and when I picked my shots I got him out of there.

“I’m still on the rise. I became a champion super-fast, but I’m still rising and there’s more to come.”

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Promoter Floyd Mayweather was ringside in London to support his fighter, who he’s christened “the future of boxing.”

Walsh (21-1, 14 KOs), who entered the bout as the No. 1 challenger and the decided local favorite at Copper Box, was disappointed with the stoppage.

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“He’s very fast, very active, but that was too quick,” Walsh said. “He won fair and square, but sometimes they stop the fight too early. I never got an opportunity. I’m not saying the result would be different, but give me a chance.

“I’d love to fight him again. I’d fight him for next to nothing.”

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