Gervonta Davis did precious little in the first five rounds, and let Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero control the action on Saturday night. Things were not looking good for the WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Tank Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) until the sixth.
Rolly looked like the better fighter by a mile through the first five rounds.
Tank turned things around in the sixth round by landing a left hand that caught Rolly (14-1, 12 KOs) at the same time that he was winding up on a right of his own. Tank’s shot got there first, knocking Rolly face-first into the canvas.
Moments later, the referee David Fields did the smart thing in stopping the fight in the sixth round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tank connected on 25 of 84 shots for a connect percentage of 30. For his part, Rolly landed 22 of 115 shots for a 19% connect rate.
“Tank Davis is special. Rolly Romero has nothing to hold his head about,” said Mayweather Promotion CEO Leonard Ellerbe at the post-fight press conference last Saturday night.
“I thought he [Rolly] was fighting a good fight, and he got caught with a good shot,” Ellerbe continued. “Tank showed his experience in the fight, he was very patient, and he was able to do what he needed to do to close the show.
“I can tell you right now about Rolly Romero. If you can’t punch, you’re not going to beat that dude. He is strong as f***, I’m telling you.
“All the other lightweights out there, Rolly has put them on notice. Tank Davis is on another level. He showed you why he’s one of the best fighters in the world.
“When it comes to Tank, no matter what you guys say, he’s going to continue doing what he’s doing. One by one, line them up, he’s going to knock them down.
“But again, going back to Rolly. I thought it was a very competitive fight. Tank was very patient. That’s what it takes when you’re fighting someone as strong as Rolly is. Tank showed his experience and got the big knockout.
“Rolly was hurt. You live to fight another day. No, it wasn’t premature at all,” said Ellerbe when asked if the stoppage in the sixth was premature.
