Gervonta Davis fight could be in jeopardy

GERVONTA Davis’ December 14 fight date against Lamont Roach could be on the ropes, according to Dan Rafael, who has been speaking to industry insiders about the event status. The announcement of the proposed Houston headliner was surprisingly low-key, inviting some to question its validity. Now Rafael has added further fuel to the fire.

Been told by 3 sources involved in the event there’s good chance Tank-Roach won’t happen Dec. 14 as announced on PBC social platforms & by the fighters. Venue issue may be reason I’m told. Might happen as planned but unclear. 1 deemed it “50-50.” Could get pushed to early ‘25.

— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 24, 2024

Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), is now widely regarded as one of the top stars in the sport and was being strongly linked to fights with the likes of Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez or a rematch with Isaac Cruz. However, Maryland’s Lamont Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs), was chosen to move up in weight to provide Gervonta’s next test. Roach is the reigning WBA super-featherweight champion, so it was met with some mild criticism of the ‘Tank’ team.

When the December date was confirmed, the location of the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, was announced, but now, as Rafael explains above, that might have to be moved elsewhere. It’s been a strange time for the PBC of late since parting ways with Showtime as the premium network exited the boxing realm. 

Hooking up with Amazon Prime has brought a smattering of pay-per-view events, and the first non-PPV offering last weekend saw Tim Tszyu get destroyed by Bakhram Murtazaliev in Florida. Gervonta Davis is the brand’s flagbearer and needs to perform strongly and keep on winning to maintain its overall health.