Home/Boxing

Gervonta Davis may not have a particular animosity brewing with his next opponent, Lamont Roach Jr. However, he is more than making up for it with animosity outside the ring. In just the past few hours, he has slammed Shakur Stevenson, Terence Crawford, Keyshawn Davis, Teofimo Lopez, and a few more popular names in boxing. But it seems he’s developed a particularly unfavorable opinion about the Saudi boxing figurehead, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.

The tension between them first escalated last month when Davis wasn’t invited to The Ring magazine awards gala in London. Seemingly upset, he took to X, questioning, “Why didn’t they invite everybody?” and added, “But they invited people they deal w… F*** outta here. Stop d*** eating.” However, despite the unpleasant posts, the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority made it clear that he was still open to doing business with Tank Davis, specifically in hopes of making a Shakur Stevenson fight happen on a Riyadh Season card sometime this year. As a result, many felt there was still a way forward for the two boxing giants. But recent developments suggest otherwise. It seems the situation has taken an unexpected turn, and now, HE Turki Alalshikh may have to reconsider his earlier stance.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Gervonta Davis blasts the boxing community siding with Turki Alalshikh

At the moment, the 30-year-old is gearing up to defend his WBA Lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr. in just a few hours at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, during the final media day in New York before the official weigh-ins tomorrow, things took an unexpected turn when Davis began airing his view on the Saudi boxing mogul. Happy Punch shared a small clip of the interview on X.

During the conversation, Gervonta Davis expressed his thoughts on what he perceived as people “selling themselves” when asked about the boxers who had already signed with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. He even referred to a particular group picture of the boxers with Alalshikh during the London gala, remarking, “That sh*t looked like some devil sh*t.” He further added that the boxers involved seemed like “they sold their soul,” labeling the entire scenario as “crazy.”

The Baltimore native then referred to a recent fiasco where Alalshikh personally informed Hamzah Sheeraz and his team, in the middle of their fight last week, about him being low on the scorecards against Carlos Adames. Gervonta Davis, referring to the incident, then queried, “We wanna get Tank over here and fight?” before plainly stating, “Man, I already know what y’all gonna do.” It’s clear that Davis is suspicious of the Saudi Arabia Royal’s involvement in boxing, especially given the Sheeraz-Adames controversy. He expressed frustration, saying, “But every time I say something, it’s like I’m hating.”

Interestingly, not too long ago, despite his suspicions, Gervonta Davis was still open to negotiating a deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, provided his demands were met.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What’s your perspective on:

Is Gervonta Davis right to call out boxers for 'selling their souls' to Saudi money?

Have an interesting take?

Tank Davis wants more than just cash

Earlier this month, during an interview with Mike Coppinger, HE Turki Alalshikh stated, “I hope one day we see Shakur against Tank.” This statement caught Coppinger off guard, especially considering the strained relationship between Alalshikh and Gervonta Davis. The owner of The Ring magazine even added, “He [Gervonta Davis] is a great fighter, of course. No doubt about it. But we need to see him in big fights more and more.” Following that, in a recent episode of A Safe Place Podcast, the Baltimore native revealed his conditions to make this dream fight a reality. And, as expected, it won’t come cheap.

During the interview, the WBA lightweight champion stated that he “sees what’s going on” and is fully aware of the massive amounts of cash Saudi Arabia is throwing at fighters to get their way. As long as the money’s flowing, Davis set his price: “So now give me two, four, or even three Ferraris,” Tank demanded boldly. The 30-0 boxer made it clear what it would take for him to sign on the dotted line.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

For Davis, the equation is simple: “If not, ain’t no point of me going over there. Y’all got the money to do it.” It seems clear that Gervonta Davis is looking to cash in massively just to agree to a deal. So, if Turki Alalshikh wants this fight to happen, he may have to shell out millions for Ferraris, as Davis’ overall demands far exceed just a big paycheck.

After his last statement, do you think there is a way out for the two? Will the stakes be raised, or will the negotiations remain business as usual? Do share your thoughts with us below.

Have something to say?

Let the world know your perspective.

ADVERTISEMENT

0
  Debate

Debate

Is Gervonta Davis right to call out boxers for 'selling their souls' to Saudi money?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT