WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 29-0 (27) doesn’t even understand what a gate and pay-per-view upside is, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
The Matchroom Boxing boss put the 29-year-old Baltimore southpaw on blast after he made public the details of a proposition sent by Hearn to a representative of Davis.
“Gervonta asked me to contact you regarding our offer to fight Conor Benn,” the email read.
“We would like to talk further regarding this fight and our plan would be to stage this fight in May in the USA.
“We would offer $10million plus an upside on the gate and PPV that I would like to discuss further with you.
“Do you have a good time to discuss this week? Kind regards, Eddie.”
Davis shared the email on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, and added a personalised spray directed at Hearn.
“I was just trying to be good for the sport and beat ya ass in ya home town, but the spoon-fed white boy keep trying to cheat me outta my fucking money bitch,” Davis wrote.
Hearn sought to clarify the offer over the weekend after the Edgar Berlanga versus Padraig McCrory fight in Orlando, Florida.
“I didn’t say that I offered him $25 million,” Hearn told iFL TV. “I said I offered him eight figures, which is $10 million plus an upside on PPV and the gate receipts. I think he could make somewhere between $15 million and $25 million for that fight with Conor Benn.”
Hearn questioned whether Davis even understood the common terms he used in the email.
“I said in the email that I want to sit down with you and explain the PPV upside and the gate upside,” Hearn continued. “But he doesn’t even want to entertain those conversations because he just gets bad advice. Why wouldn’t you have a conversation about it?
“He doesn’t even know what an upside on PPV and the gate even are. He really should have a sit-down, have a chat and hear an explanation about what he could make financially.”
Britain’s Benn, 27, is fresh off a 12-round unanimous decision win over little known Peter Dobson 16-1 (9) in Las Vegas earlier this month, moving his record to 23-0 (14). He was even more scathing in his assessment of Davis.
“Clearly, Gerv-umpalumpa doesn’t know what upside means. Stick to fighting women. All talk, no smoke @Gervontaa,” Benn wrote on X.
Hearn said the fight against Benn would be easy to make if Davis simply sat down at the negotiating table in good faith.
“If he feels a fight against Conor Benn is an easy fight, then he should be having those conversations,” Hearn said. “You send him an offer and he puts it up on Twitter. It’s baby stuff.”
Davis has not fought since scoring a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia 24-1 (20) last April. He is expected to defend his 135-pound title against fellow lefthander Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin 18-0 (12) in late spring or earlier summer.
