Gervonta Davis produces another thrilling knockout performance but questions remain over how good he actually is because he rarely fights anyone decent
- Gervonta Davis produced another masterclass performance, knocking out Ricard Nunez with a second round bullying in Baltimore on Saturday.
- Davis defeated the mandatory challenger to his WBA (super) super featherweight world title, but needs to step up the level of his opponents.
- Even Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein says it is high time Davis is put in a competitive bout, and wants to see a super featherweight unification title fight with IBF belt holder Tevin Farmer.
- "He needs to upgrade his opposition," Bernstein said.
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Gervonta Davis beat Ricardo Nunez in a second round bullying at the Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, on Saturday.
Davis, a Floyd Mayweather protege signed to the retired boxer's firm Mayweather Promotions, looked as good as he always seems to look against lesser-skilled opponents.
He showed great finesse in his merciless work, he looked explosive and fast, and, above all, he exhibited his fearsome punching power in a four minute, 33 second blowout.
To finish Nunez, Davis hurled a 12-punch combination at his Panamanian opponent's head and body.
The first, a hellacious hook launched from the clinch, seemed to land with such power that Nunez did well to not go down.
What followed was pure malice as Davis refused to let Nunez catch his breath and fired off uppercuts, overhands, and straights until the referee Harvey Dock waved the bout off for good.
Watch it right here:
Here's another angle:
Although it was another stoppage win in the books for Davis, it comes with an asterisk as Davis is yet to land himself one career-defining win.
Compare that to his mentor, Mayweather, who has a record filled with legacy-defining victories over the likes of Miguel Cotto, Jose Luis Castillo, Oscar de la Hoya, Diego Corrales, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah, and Genaro Hernandez.
Aside from his besting of Jose Pedraza in 2017, one of the biggest wins of Davis' career was against Jesus Cuellar. But Cuellar entered that 2018 bout off a loss. Davis added another, albeit with far superior style than the man who had previously beaten him, Abner Mares.
Before a punch had even been thrown in the Nunez fight, Forbes described it as a mismatch. By that, the publication means Nunez was never expected to be competitive, let alone win. Forbes was right. Post-fight, BloodyElbow.com also said it was a mismatch.
To be fair to Davis, Nunez was the mandatory challenger to his WBA (super) super featherweight world title. He had to fight him or risk losing that WBA belt.
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Opponents of Nunez's caliber are par for the course for Davis. But there are superior challenges out there to be had - against Tevin Farmer, Miguel Berchelt, maybe even Mikey Garcia or Vasily Lomachenko in the weight class above, at lightweight.
Even esteemed boxing analyst Al Bernstein, who works for Showtime, Davis' broadcaster, believes it's high time the undefeated Baltimore boxer steps up a level. "Ricardo Nunez, mandatory defense for Davis, was game and came to fight but Davis [was] too powerful for him," Bernstein said on Twitter.
Playing matchmaker, Bernstein wants to see Davis put his title on the line against Philadelphian southpaw Farmer, a world title unification bout that would also put Farmer's IBF strap up for grabs.
"Let's see Davis in against another champ next - maybe Farmer," he said. "Either way, next for Davis should be a true challenge."
Bernstein added: "He needs to upgrade his opposition. I believe that will come in [his] next fight."