Roy Jones Jr. says a fight between Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney should take place at 140 and that Tank would need a knockout for him to win.
(Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom or Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Jones Jr. feels that with Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) being the younger, bigger, and better boxer of the two, it would put Gervonta (29-0, 27 KOs) in a situation where he would need to score a stoppage to get the victory.
Weight: Size Matters, But So Does Fairness
What Roy didn’t mention is the weight stipulation that Tank would want for the fight because he would be coming up from 135 and facing a guy that just rehydrated to 165 lbs for his last fight.
It’s not fair to Tank if he’s fighting a blown-up super middleweight, who should be competing with killers like David Benavidez and David Morrell Jr. instead of draining down to 140 to gain an advantage over smaller opposition.
Money Talks: Shiek Turki Holds the Purse Strings
“Honestly, it’s fair at 140 because Tank went to 140 and won a world title. So, if you’re going to do it, it’s better to do it at 140,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Fighthype about a fight between Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis.
“Everybody wants to get their advantages because they know Haney gets pretty big. Talk to Shiek Turki [Alalshikh], and he’ll make it worthwhile.”
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said he’d like to make the Haney vs. Tank Davis fight happen, but with how he’s talking, it sounded like he views Devin as the A-side.
That’s not going to work with Tank, who is ‘The Face of Boxing.’ If Turki can make sure that Tank is the A-side in the negotiations, we could have a fight.
“If I was fighting right now, I’d go to Shiek Turki and say, ‘I want your help. He ain’t going to fight unless you pay him the kind of money he deserves,’” said Roy. “So, if Shiek Turki says, ‘I want that fight. Let’s make it happen.’ That’s the way to do it.
A Clash of Boxing IQs
“They both have really high boxing IQs, and that’s a fight that the world deserves to see at 140,” said Jones Jr. “If he doesn’t stop Haney, he shouldn’t beat Haney because Haney is the younger guy and the bigger guy.
“So, the only way I can see Tank winning is by knockout. I don’t think he can outbox Haney, but you can never tell because Tank does have a lot of tricks up his sleeves, but I don’t see him outboxing Haney, no.
