Gervonta “Tank” Davis once again delivered inside of the ring, this time against four-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz.
After a competitive first half of the fight, Davis landed a brutal uppercut in round six to end things.
In the most high-profile fight of his career, Davis retained his WBA Lightweight title and also grabbed the WBA Super Featherweight title that Santa Cruz held.
The fight aired on SHOWTIME PPV from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
There were an estimated 9,024 spectators in attendance, as this was the first boxing card to have partial fans dating back to earlier this year before COVID-19 struck.
It was both fighters’ pay-per-view main event debut, and Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) and Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) delivered an all-action slug fest that had the fans going crazy.
The fight was contested at 130 pounds and saw both fighters put it all on the line.
It the previously-mentioned sixth round was when the defining moment of the night occurred, as Davis found an opening to land his trademark left uppercut, a knockout shot which Santa Cruz never saw coming.
Davis proved that he is one of the most powerful punchers in the spirt, and the KO has since gone viral online.
“The uppercut wasn’t the key coming into the fight, but I adapted to what he was bringing,” said Davis. “I knew he was taller and crouching down and moving forward. Once he moved forward, I tried to jab and make him run into the shot. He was right there for it. He punches, but he doesn’t try to get out of the way. There was nowhere for him to go on that knockout because I got him into the corner.”
The power of Davis was the difference as he landed 55 percent of his power shots to just 29 percent for Santa Cruz.
Afterwards, Davis gave respect to his opponent.
“Leo is a tough warrior and a strong Mexican fighter,” said Davis, who is promoted by Floyd Mayweather. “He came ready for me. I was just the better fighter tonight. I want to maintain both belts. Whatever decision me and my team comes up with, we’ll go with it. I’m not ducking or dodging anybody. I’m a pay-per-view star. Everybody knows I’m number one and I showed it tonight.”
Santa Cruz is a true warrior and will be back.
“We didn’t get the win, but I’m okay,” said Santa Cruz post-fight, as he was taken to a nearby hospital for observation.
Davis vs. Santa Cruz was a rare clash in boxing history in which world titles in two weight classes were at stake.
And with Teofimo Lopez having scored a big victory on October 17, it was important for Davis to deliver. And he did just that.
