Animosity between Gervonta Davis and Floyd Mayweather is overblown, 2 boxing insiders say

• American fighter Gervonta Davis is one of boxing's biggest attractions.
• The thunderous puncher returns Saturday for the last fight on his Mayweather Promotions deal.

Thunderous puncher Gervonta Davis returns to the boxing ring Saturday for what organizers are calling an explosive firefight against Rolando Romero, who is another heavy hitter in the lightweight division.

One of the storylines coursing through the veins of this bout is that Davis may test free agency after the event, as this, according to Davis himself, is the last match on his deal with Las Vegas-based fight firm Mayweather Promotions.

The former five-weight world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather has represented the fast-rising 135-pounder "Tank" Davis since 2015.

With the help of Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, Davis has established himself as one of the premier combat sports attractions in the US.

Davis is a staple on Showtime Sports and returns to the broadcaster's pay-per-view division for the Romero bout.

Numerous publications have pointed to a perceived deterioration in Tank's relationship with Mayweather in the build-up to this weekend's event.

For industry insiders close to Davis and Mayweather, however, the apparent animosity is overblown.

"Those are two strong personalities," Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza told Insider.

Espinoza pointed to the career development that numerous fighters go through when they reach their mid-20s. It's all about "maturing and establishing themselves as a grown man in their careers.

"That means establishing who you are as a business person, what your image is, and your independence," said Espinoza. "Sometimes that means you're butting heads with the promoter."

For Espinoza, if the promoter in this instance wasn't Floyd Mayweather, the speculation as to whether Davis will leave Mayweather and Ellerbe forever wouldn't be anywhere near as intense.

"You've got Floyd, Gervonta — two big names. Everything just gets magnified," Espinoza said. "I do think the animosity is a bit overblown."

Speaking to Insider, Ellerbe agreed. "It is overblown because people don't know what goes on behind the scenes, and people just speculate," he said.

"Our focus, meanwhile, is making the biggest fights possible and putting our fighters in the best situation to be successful."

'It's my career,' Davis said

Tank himself appears undecided about his plans going forward.

To Brian Custer on The Last Stand podcast, Davis said: "It's my career, so I feel as though I need to be the one that controls [it]. It's time.

"Everybody don't need to have them training wheels on them forever," he continued. "It's time to ride their own bike without training wheels."

Speaking to reporters later, Davis was asked about his comments to Custer. "I didn't say I was leaving," he said. "I said my contract was up."

He then confirmed there's a possibility he'd re-sign with Ellerbe and Mayweather, before adding: "I still feel I've got the best team in boxing as far as Mayweather Promotions, Al Haymon, and my personal team.

"Whatever decision we make after this; I'm all for it. We come up with the best plans together as a team."

On whether Tank will indeed test free agency, Espinoza told Insider that he thinks "it's a good question."

Espinoza said: "Tank is entitled to explore all the opportunities that are open to him, but it's tough to argue with the results that have been achieved so far.

"If there are things that need to be straightened out — personal or professional relationships — that's always possible.

"But looking at the landscape … it's tough to say there's a group that would do a better job on Gervonta Davis than Mayweather Promotions has done to this point.

"I understand sometimes that Tank feels like he wants to stand on his own two feet and not always be associated with Floyd, but that's part of every boxer's career.

"They want more independence and economy in how they run their business and their careers. But that doesn't mean the end of the relationship."

Davis and Romero headline Saturday's 10-bout fight card. The pay-per-view section of the show begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.