“The Mike Tyson of Lightweight Division”: Stephen A. Smith Lauds Gervonta Davis While Criticizing Tyson Fury

When it boils down to the Lightweight division, Gervonta Davis has once again proved none other than him, who punches way above his weight! Archrival Ryan Garcia‘s seventh-round stoppage has hushed all doubts over him not having fought a seasoned or tough fighter. Along with many, the distinguished voice in sports journalism, Stephen A. Smith, finds himself captivated by the outstandingly performing Southpaw.

The twenty-eight-year-old Baltimorean remains unbeaten at twenty-nine wins. A staggering 93% of his triumphs came after he overwhelmed the opposition to early stoppages. In Ryan Garcia, he finally found an opponent worthy of mention. A marquee performance on Saturday night finally seems to have laid to rest all those arguments, at least for now.

Stephen A. Smith is ecstatic for Gervonta Davis

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has been so immensely impressed by Gervonta Davis that he took to his Twitter account early today and spoke at length about ‘Tank’. While the message has seen roughly 200k views, the minute-long video has been seen by approximately 40k people. The fifty-five-year-old sports journalist started by calling out Davis as “spectacular.”

He pointed out that after the victory at T Mobile Arena, there’s hardly any doubt left in terming Davis as the ‘face of boxing.’ To prove his point, he cited British boxer Tyson Fury‘s example. The negotiations for two of his fights, one against fellow Briton Anthony Joshua last year and the other against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, fell through in the recent past. Even a fight against old rival Deontay Wilder remains slim. They are already done with a trilogy.

According to Smith, if Tyson Fury is the face of boxing, then ideally, they should see through that fight deals succeed. The absence of a battle leaves an open space for mere claims. He said, “If Tyson Fury can’t get a, he can’t get a fight with Anthony Joshua. He’s not going to fight Deontay Wilder again. And on top of it all, Oleksandr Usyk. You can’t get in the ring with him. Y’ll [can’t] come to some kind of accord even though Tyson Fury is that dude. Damn it, if you ain’t fighting, it [doesn’t] matter.“

Whereas Gervoonta Davis, on the other, is a person who gets into one fight after the other, Smith emphasized. Describing him as a “knockout artist,” ESPN First Take‘s commentator continued, “He’s got a pariah-type mystique with him because of off-out of the ring issues and stuff like that. But he backs it up in the ring because he comes in there with bad intentions. He’s smart. He’s a very skilled boxer. And he’s a knockout artist. The Mike Tyson of the Lightweight division.“

Read More: Michael B. Jordan, Mark Wahlberg, Mike Tyson, More Watched Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia Slug It Out

Commending ‘Tank’ Davis for always being active professionally, Stephen A. Smith admitted a profound love and respect for “that brother from Baltimore.” Indeed, fans and viewers can expect more such explosive spectacles from Gervonta Davis, given that he still has many years of boxing left. As for the question of whether he is the ‘face of boxing,‘ it might remain debatable. But without an iota of doubt, Davis has become one of the most recognizable global sports personalities. What do you think about Stephen Smith’s views? Do let us know your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below.

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