Gervonta Davis has reportedly been “withdrawn” from the Jake Paul exhibition match on November 14th on Netflix. Long-retired Andre Ward has been approached about stepping in as a substitute for Jake, with the exhibition being rescheduled for December.
Low Buzz Hurt The Event
It’s not the biggest surprise that Tank Davis has been pulled, as the allegations of domestic abuse that surfaced last week hurt the viability of the fight. However, some fans on X believe that the low buzz for the Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis exhibition contributed to Tank being yanked from the event.
With just 11 days to go before November 14th, there was very little discussion on social media about the Jake vs. Tank fight. Paul and Netflix made a mistake in choosing Gervonta as the opponent for the exhibition. They needed someone bigger, more active, and popular.
Mike Coppinger revealed today the news of Tank Davis being withdrawn from the November 14th exhibition. He said that Andre Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) has been “approached about his availability.
Ward’s Long Absence
The Oakland, California native, Ward, hasn’t fought in eight years since his controversial eighth-round knockout win over Sergey Kovalev on June 17, 2017, in Las Vegas. That was the infamous fight in which the referee, Tony Weeks, stopped the fight after Ward appeared to land a low blow. Rather than deducting a point, Weeks gave Ward a knockout win.
Ward turns 42 on February 23, 2026. That’s young compared to Jake Paul’s opponent from last year, on November 15, 2024, when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson. It doesn’t matter to boxing fans. They’ll still subscribe in high numbers, regardless of Ward’s age.
Fan Interest In Question
The only issue is whether fans in their teens and 20s have seen the former two-division world champion Ward fight before to make him a viable opponent. This isn’t Mike Tyson we’re talking about. Ward gained a measure of fame for competing on Showtime’s Super Six tournament from 2009 to 2011. That was a long time ago, and many fans never saw it.
