Wednesday’s announcement that Jake Paul’s next dance partner would be Gervonta “Tank” Davis spawned a reaction outside of the typical boxing bubble.
The one where your friend, who typically isn’t a boxing fan, sends you a screenshot of the fight poster, accompanied by a few excited emoji, asking you to explain the five Ws of journalism: who, what, when, where and, most importantly, why?
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Who? Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), a YouTuber-turned-cruiserweight and founder of Most Valuable Promotions, who at his career-heaviest weighed 227 pounds. And current WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), who has made the 135-pound weight limit in his last six contests.
Oh, I almost forgot: The seeds for this contest were planted back in May, when Paul stood ringside at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to watch Davis defend his WBA crown against Lamont Roach Jr. Davis remained unbeaten but far from unscathed, rescued by the judges with a disputed draw. The rematch was slated for Aug. 16, but was subsequently scrapped due to the arrest of Davis — a charge that collapsed last week — for domestic violence.
What? Well, we are assuming an exhibition contest. Weight, rules, rounds — nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but we won’t be waking up the next day seeing any changes to their official boxing records.
When? OK, this should be an easy one: Nov. 14, 2025.
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Where? Again, easy: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Why? Now here’s where it gets interesting …
The simple answer is why not? Since turning his hand to the professional game in 2020, Jake Paul has found it increasingly harder for the boxing world to take him seriously.
He isn’t without blame.
Fights against YouTubers, retired NBA stars, retired MMA fighters and a 58-year-old “Iron” Mike Tyson have strengthened the arguments of his naysayers, but clear dedication and improvements to his skill set have, on a whole, been ignored and dismissed by the traditional viewers of the sport.
The ranking systems of boxing’s sanctioning bodies also split opinion on a daily basis, but the fact that Paul is now ranked No. 14 by the World Boxing Association meant that, in theory, the 28-year-old could challenge for its cruiserweight title, but this notion was routinely mocked following Paul’s most recent win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-7-1, 34 KOs) in June.
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Paul’s dance card has never been short of names, though few as audacious as those he has pursued this past year. Whispers of Anthony Joshua (still being considered for early-2026), even the glimmer of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, crossed his path. But when Alvarez chose to march under the gilded banner of Turki Alalshikh’s Saudi empire, Paul’s ambitions shifted.
And so, his sights were set lower in height and his gaze fell upon the 5-foot 5 Davis.
Gervonta Davis has a large task ahead of him.
(REUTERS / Reuters)
In recent years, sport has doubled-down on its pursuit of business over fan enjoyment — and boxing is no different. Schedules in the NFL, NBA and the English Premier League are becoming more and more compact, overseas games are becoming more common, and the bottom line is, well, the bottom line.
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Both Paul and Davis understand this. Both are proving to be more than comfortable in prioritizing their bank balances over their legacy. They are a symptom of sport veering toward the lure of Hollywood entertainment, rather than the cause.
If this latest cash-grab turns the nose up of traditional boxing, then more dedicated efforts need to be made to get the sport’s house in order. A failure to get a proper, united grip on performance-enhancing drugs, the long-term damage to fighters’ health, corruption, incompetent officiating and conflicting due process of sanctioning bodies all adds fuel to the flames of a sport that is becoming easier to criticize, and harder to defend.
Paul is climbing his own ladder, adjacent to the long tradition of prizefighting — one that Davis now wishes to join — and it’s one that is going to make him more money that he could ever wish to spend. It’s still unclear how tall this ladder can ultimately reach.
Paul is doing so whilst championing the plight of female fighters in the sport under his Most Valuable Promotions banner. It’s commendable. Whether choosing opposition in Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1991, and Davis, who has repeatedly been charged with domestic abuse, is an awkward conversation he may be pressed to comment on in the future.
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“Gervonta is an angry little elf who has been disrespecting my name for too long,” Paul said in a statement to ESPN. “His nickname might be ‘Tank,’ but I’m an FPV drone and I’m about to disable his ass. Yes, he is one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds. First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath, and you are all going watch me do it, breaking viewership records again. Atlanta. Friday, Nov. 14. The worst night of Gervonta’s career, live only on Netflix.”
It has started already. There will be a promotional juggernaut building a fight between two men separated by 65 pounds of natural weight, in a contest where we aren’t expected to see an official winner declared. The viewing figures will be astronomical and the undercard should allow some of the MVP stable to showcase their incredible talents to the world.
Friends will message asking if I am watching the fight, what my plans might be and whether we should watch together. I’ll feel forced to oblige. A slew of questions will be peppered my way and some will be impossible to answer. The contest will ultimately descend into a choreographed dance — a non-event where everyone leaves the arena with their itches unscratched. Paul and “Tank” will embrace, grateful to the other for trading checks rather than meaningful blows.
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Those who promised they wouldn’t tune in will suddenly have detailed opinions on the whole event and Jake Paul and Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ names will be trending on all four corners of the internet.
The following day we’ll wake up and boxing’s deep-lying troubles will remain. Both Paul and Davis will be winners. But not at boxing’s expense.
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