Gervonta Davis is the face of boxing, according to undisputed light middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo.
Boxing has had some incredible superstars come through the ranks over the years, including the likes of Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and George Forman. All have transcended the sport to become household names, and helped turn what could easily become a niche sport into a major mainstream competition.
The present day is no exception, with stars such as Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk helping keep boxing’s profile high even as other sports expand their global footprint and snap up more fans, media coverage and money.
For Charlo, however, there’s just one name that stands out. “I think, truly, right now the face of boxing gotta be Gervonta Davis, to me,” Charlo told former NBA star Stephen Jackson on Showtime Sports’ Fight Towns.
“Right now, if you think about who really conquered the new world, selling out every fight, he performing well. Everybody wants to stay focused on the negativity, but he’s grinding his ass off.”
Why is Gervonta Davis rated so highly?
As Charlo’s endorsement suggests, Davis isn’t just a good boxer; he’s a great one who’s well on his way to becoming one of the very best of all time.
Starting his career in February 2013, he’s since participated in 29 bouts, winning them all. Even more impressively, he’s won all but two through knock-outs: clashes with German Ivan Meraz (also in 2014) and Isaac Cruz (in 2021) ended in unanimous decisions in Davis’s favor. A 2014 bout with Joshua Arocho ended with a corner retirement by Arocho, though that’s still counted as a knockout.
Such fine form has led to him winning multiple world championships across three different weight classes: the WBA (regular) lightweight, the IBF super featherweight and the WBA (regular) super lightweight.
Blessed with an incredible southpaw, he’s celebrated for his punching power, which was on full display in his last bout, when he beat Ryan Garcia in April this year to bring his opponent’s own unbeaten record to an end within seven rounds.
The match was highly anticipated by fans and the fifth Davis clash to be available through pay-per-view. It far exceeded expectations, with over 1.2 million people paying for the right to tune in. Just under $102m of revenue was earned through the bout, making it by far the most profitable face-off of Davis’s career so far.
Such stats allowed him the right to express similar statements to Charlo after the match, telling the media: “I’m definitely the face of boxing. Abso-*******-lutely.”
As for Charlo himself, the American could also make a claim for being the sport’s leading man. The current undisputed light middleweight world champion, he’s clocked up 35 wins across a career spanning 37 fights.
19 of those wins have come through knockouts, and only one draw (against Brian Castaño in July 2021) and one defeat (to Tony Harrison in December 2018) have marred his perfect record. His most recent fight was a rematch with Castaño in May 2022, with Charlo securing a tenth-round technical knockout.
Written and distributed by Chat T Sports.
