Gervonta Davis' upcoming opponent's team threatened to crack his skull in the ring, and his promoter Leonard Ellerbe is apoplectic

• Controversy marred the Gervonta Davis and Mario Barrios fight week this week.
• A Barrios team member said they plan on cracking open Davis' skull in the ring.
• Leonard Ellerbe, Davis' promoter, was furious. "You don't say s--- like that!"

Mayweather Promotions boss Leonard Ellerbe is apoplectic that Mario Barrios' team has threatened to crack the skull of Ellerbe's fighter Gervonta Davis ahead of their high-stakes showdownon Saturday

Popular American puncher Davis, 26, fights Mario Barrios in a super lightweight match at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and his representative - Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe - said this week that Davis will 'f---' Barrios all the way up.

The bad blood emanates from an Instagram post a Barrios team member shared this week.

Don Ames, an assistant trainer and cutman, said Barrios will "bust [Davis'] head to the white meat" - effectively saying he plans to crack Davis' skull and expose his brain.

Reacting to the Boxing Scene website, Ellerbe said Ames "definitely crossed the line" with his comments.

He added: "What he said is some street s---. There is no room for that in boxing. Tank don't play like that. Tank is a street dude. Tank is going to f--- him all the way up. It's going to take their entire corner and the referee to get Tank off of this motherf-----."

"[Ames] said [Barrios is] going to crack Tank's head and bust it down to the white meat! You don't say s--- like that!"

"Never as a promoter have I wished anything bad upon a fighter," Ellerbe continued.

"Now this s--- is all the way personal now. Tank is going to f--- him up. I promise you that."

The two fighters met Thursday for a pre-fight press conference, and though they vowed to finish one another, relations were cordial despite the earlier controversy.

Davis downplayed the near five-inch height advantage he is giving Barrios in this 140-pound match.

"When I fight bigger guys in the gym, I always show up," he said in a statement sent to Insider.

"I hate when people think that I'm small and try to take advantage of me. This is one of the fights where you will see the best of Gervonta Davis.

"It's going to surprise him when I connect. It's not only that I hit hard, but it's where I place my punches and he will see that Saturday night."

Barrios, meanwhile, said: "Both of us throw with bad intentions. We're in there to hurt and take out our opponent."

He finished by saying that he's out to spoil the show for Mayweather Promotions, as the stage is set for Davis to continue the steps he's been taking toward boxing stardom.

"I fully intend on f---ing up those plans come Saturday," Barrios said.