The Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero fight will be 'pure, unadulterated violence,' according to organizers
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Alan Dawson
May 28, 2022, 23:19 IST
Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero.Photo by Getty Images
Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero fight Saturday on Showtime pay-per-view.
Event organizers are expecting the savagery rather than the beauty of boxing to unfold.
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The upcoming lightweight boxing match between Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero will be "pure, unadulterated violence," according to event organizers.
Atop the 10-bout fight card is a 135-pound fight that has a built-in rivalry. Davis — a 27-year-old established combat sports attraction — feels disrespected by 26-year-old Romero, who has seemingly insulted his opponent's intelligence, physique, and ability.
It threatened to come to a head Friday at the pre-fight weigh-in when the Davis pushed Romero off the New York stage. As Romero got back to his feet, both fighters had to be separated so they didn't fight for free before their lucrative box office bout this weekend.
The Mayweather Promotions bout takes place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be broadcast on Showtime pay-per-view from 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Saturday's showdown will be "a tremendous fight," according to Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who told Insider that he expects it to "end in a knockout because you've got two tremendous punchers."
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Ellerbe added: "What I'm very convinced of is Rolly's gonna bring out the best in Tank Davis, and I think that Tank's going to bring out the best of Rolly."
Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza said the bout is going to be fought with "a blunt instrument" rather than "precision surgery."
Espinoza told Insider: "If I was trying to show off the artistic skill, the beauty, and the ballet of boxing, Davis vs. Romero would not be top of my list as Exhibit A. And that's not because it won't be entertaining, or a quality match-up, but because it's more like pure, unadulterated violence.
"And that's by design," Espinoza said. "There's a personal rivalry and it's one where they have a score to settle that has nothing to do with boxing. That often turns into one of the most brutal battles we get in this sport."
Ellerbe added: "You're not gonna have a boxing match with two guys in a jabbing contest. This fight right here, you're not gonna see that. You're gonna see a barn burner from the opening bell."
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Gervonta Davis is 'phenomenal,' and an American superstar
Davis is one of boxing's few pay-per-view stars and is a staple on Showtime's box office offering.
His sellout shows in Baltimore, Atlanta, and now Brooklyn is a testament to his growth as a bona fide attraction at the gate.
"Every celebrity who normally watches fights and comes to the big events are gonna be there," Ellerbe said of his star fighter's ability to capture the imagination and attention of "NBA players, rappers, executives, and everyday people."
"It's going to be a big-time event," Ellerbe said, adding that Davis is an American superstar "because we know what we're doing."
Espinoza said Davis is "definitely building" when it comes to year-on-year growth as a pay-per-view commodity for his premium network.
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"Tank is really phenomenal for someone who is a little bit shy outside the ring — his fanbase and popularity just keeps growing.
"We're well on track to be the biggest boxing gate ever at Barclays Center," Espinoza said.
The broadcast executive said Davis has generated between $4 million and $4.5 million in ticket sales for fights in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
"He's well on his way to doing that level of gate at Barclays Center, too," he said. "There's very few fighters who can do that, who can go to multiple cities outside of their home area and pull that kind of fanbase at those ticket prices."
Espinoza called Davis a "unicorn in that regard."
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All that's missing, for Espinoza, is "that big, signature fight."
That could be "a unification fight against someone with a big name."
Already regarded by those close to him as an American superstar, a victory in a world-class unification bout would "elevate Tank to a different stratosphere."
But, first, Davis must defeat Romero in a grudge match.
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