The lightweight debut of Gervonta Davis was nothing short of a learning experience on Saturday in front of a vocal State Farm Arena crowd. Lucky for the unbeaten “Tank,” his power is very much the real deal.
In Atlanta’s first title bout since Evander Holyfield-Vaughn Bean in 1998, Davis scored a trio of knockdowns before stopping a brave Yuriorkis Gamboa in Round 12. Davis (23-0, 22 KOs), one of boxing’s rising stars, went past the ninth round for the first time in his pro career and showed questionable stamina at times in the second half of the fight.
The fact that Gamboa (30-3, 18 KOs), a former unified featherweight champion, showed so much heart allowed the Cuban gold medalist to fight back and linger as he tested Davis’ gas tank until a left uppercut in the final round forced referee Jack Reiss to wave off the fight at 1:12 without a count.
