Fight: Gervonta Davis vs. Rolando Romero
On the line: Davis’ WBA lightweight title
Date: May 28, 2022
Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
On May 28, Gervonta “Tank” Davis puts his WBA lightweight title on the line against Rolando Romero. Davis is the No. 4 ranked fighter in the lightweight division, according to The Ring Magazine. “The Bible of Boxing” does not have Romero ranked in the 135-pound division. Both fighters sport perfect records heading into the title fight, which takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 27-year-old Davis sports a 26-0 record. Davis won the vacant WBA lightweight title in December 2019 with a 12th round-TKO win over Yuriorkis Gamboa. He defended that title in October 2020 with a sixth-round TKO of Leo Santa Cruz. A second defence took place in December 2021, when Davis took a unanimous decision from Isaac Cruz.
The 26-year-old Romero brings a 14-0 record into this matchup. Romero was Davis’ original opponent for December, but he was pulled from that event after sexual assault allegations were lodged against him. No charges were filed in that case, and Romero is facing Davis for the title. Romero has not fought since he scored a seventh-round TKO win over Anthony Yigit in July 2021.
Before we dive into the breakdown of the Davis vs. Romero matchup, check out the best Canadian Betting Sites and take a look at the best boxing betting odds as well.
Gervonta Davis vs. Rolando Romero prediction and pick
While this fight is flying a bit under the radar because it seems — on paper — to favour Gervonta Davis, it should be a very entertaining fight for the fans.
Davis is known for his power. He has 24 knockout wins in 26 outings, and he was the winner of the 2021 Knockout of the Year according to The Ring for his vicious uppercut stoppage of Leo Santa Cruz, a stoppage that left Santa Cruz out for a scary amount of time.
Romero is also a knockout artist, with 12 of his 14 victories coming by way of stoppage. The issue facing Romero is that Davis is an enormous step up in competition for him, and at this point in his development, I’m not so sure this is a good matchup for him.
What makes this fight dangerous for Davis is that Romero has been able to get under his skin with his trash talk. With that, this might be the first time we see Davis fighting with a level of disdain for his opponent. In the past, Davis has approached his fights as steps up the ladder; they have been all business. This one will be different for him. That fact adds a new wrinkle to the mix.
I think Davis might be a little emotional in the early going, but I believe he will get his feelings under control quickly, and with that, he will punish Romero with his power on the way to another knockout win.
Who has the edge?
Gervonta Davis has the edge in every category in this fight. He is more experienced; he has fought big-name opponents, and he has more power. The bottom line is Romero’s one hope is that his trash talk will rattle Davis and give him an opening he can exploit. That’s unlikely to happen because this fight could lead to some enormous opportunities for Davis.
Betting value with Davis
The odds are such that Davis is not a particularly attractive proposition as a straight winner in this fight. With that, the best value when it comes to Davis vs. Romero is when the fight will end. I think Davis gets things done in the second half of this scrap. Each of his past three stoppages has come in the sixth round or later. However, before that run, Davis had three straight knockouts that came before the end of the third stanza.
What’s at stake
The lightweight division has a lot of exciting fighters. Davis is one of the top fighters in the division, and a win against Romero should put him in the mix to land a bout against one of the fighters who are ranked above him. Those fighters are WBC champion Devin Haney, former champs Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr, who holds the IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring titles. There’s also a chance Davis could be matched up against the 23-year-old rising star, Ryan Garcia, who is one spot behind Davis in the rankings. In short, this fight is a step toward a big payday for Davis.
As for Romero. A win here won’t land him in the mix to face any of the aforementioned fighters, but it will put a ton of respect on his name, and it would almost certainly earn him a spot in the lightweight rankings.
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