The Gervonta Davis and Mario Barrios fight taking place on Saturday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, is an intriguing one. The fight will be shown live on Showtime PPV and is an attempt to market Gervonta Davis as the next big star in boxing.
(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME)
They will be fighting for the “Regular” WBA title held by Mario Barrios. The promotion and build-up for the fight have been focused on the WBA title.
The storyline is that Davis will be looking to accomplish boxing history by attempting to win a world title in a third weight class. Showtime’s documentary series All Access they do not shy away from this at all.
They compared the accomplishments of Davis to his mentor Floyd Mayweather Jr. In the 2000s, Mayweather won titles in three different weight classes (130,135,140), and Davis is attempting to do the same thing in the same weight classes.
However, Davis will look to do it quicker at the age of 26. Mayweather won the 140-pound title at the age of 28. So you see the narrative here.
Let’s be clear, though. Davis has yet to clean out the 130 and the 135 weight divisions, which is something Mayweather did. So it’s hard to call Davis some great fighter when he has not proven it yet.
Davis has not beaten any top fighters at 130 or 135, with the exception of Jose Pedraza at 130. Now, Davis is going for a belt at 140. As far as the WBA title, anybody that follows boxing knows that the “Regular” WBA title is bogus. The real champion of the super lightweight division is Josh Taylor, who is the undisputed champion.
So let’s forget the WBA title
With that being said, this is a solid match-up, and a risky fight for Davis as Mayweather Promotions have big plans for him if victorious. Davis gets a lot of credit in taking a risky fight.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis is undefeated with a record of 24-0, 23 KO’s and is in the prime of his career. He is exciting and has knockout power. He has campaigned at the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. Now he will move up to super lightweight to fight a bigger fighter. He will be facing Mario “El Azteca” Barrios.
Barrios is also 26 years old like Davis and also in the prime of his career. Barrios is also undefeated with a record of 26-0, 17 KO’s and is a world-ranked fighter at super lightweight. Barrios is the taller and bigger man compared to Davis. Both fighters like to brawl and exchange punches which will serve as an entertaining fight.
How good is Barrios?
Barrios has fought solid guys, but he has not proven himself yet as one of the top super lightweights. In the fight where Barrios won the “Regular” WBA title against Batyr Akhmedov, he didn’t look that good.
Some fans felt he lost that fight. So there are many questions about him. However, if Barrios has the power to hurt Davis and if he has the chin to take Davis’s punches, a possible upset can take place. The upset can only happen by knockout, though. Remember, this fight is set up for Davis to win and especially if the fight goes to distance. The cards will be in favor of Davis no matter what.
If Barrios wins, he will become a star and prove that he is one of the best super lightweights for sure. If Davis wins, he will get full credit for this victory. Either way, the fight should be great, and I think it ends in a knockout.