The 13th Round - Tank and Loma Both Fighting Tonight
That headline is great news for boxing fans because Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko are two very good fighters.
That headline is also great news for gamblers because Tank and Loma are 2 heavily favored fighters that could easily lose tonight.
Let's take a look at Gervonta's bout first… The one on SHOWTIME PPV where the unproven kid with the 24-0 record is stepping up 2 weight classes and fighting an opponent 6 inches taller in order to prove he's got what it takes to fight with the (relatively) big boys of the lightweight division.
The barely 5'5" Davis weighed in at just under 140 pounds and then stood toe-to-toe (and also lip-to-nipple) with his 5'10" opponent, WBA ‘regular’ light welterweight champion Mario Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs).
Just on the TALE OF THE TAPE alone, you have to at least consider Barrios at +375, no?
Here's why not:
- Unfortunately for Barrios, he doesn't use his length well. Like so many other lanky fighters who should perfect the art of controlling the range so they can punish smaller guys from far away, Barrios will instead plant his feet and throw punches in close-quarters.
- And even more unfortunately for Barrios, throwing punches in a phone booth is exactly where Gervonta Davis thrives.
Just ask his last opponent Leo Santa Cruz…
I've also read many analysts noting that this big jump in weight against an undefeated opponent is not something Davis' management team, Mayweather Promotions, would agree upon unless either Floyd or Leonard Ellerbe saw something in Barrios that they found very beatable.
But neither Leonard nor Floyd will be in that ring once the fight starts, so I would much rather try to make 4 x's my money rooting for an underdog, and then just cross my fingers that Barrios plays this one smart and frustrates Gervonta by staying socially distant for 12 rounds to a decision.
Let's talk Lomachenko's bout now…The one on ESPN where the guy with the 14-2 record (but also a 396-1 amateur record and 2 Olympic gold medals) needs to prove he wasn't exposed in his last fight.
First off, I am a Lomachenko stan… I fucking love the guy and I have watched him every time he's stepped into a professional boxing ring.
It broke my heart to pick Teófimo over Loma last year, even though it paid off BIG… And tonight's fight is eerily similar.
Much like Davis, Loma is set to square off against a considerably taller Masayoshi Nakatani (19-1, 13 KO) in what will be only the second fight of Lomachenko's career in which a world title will not be at stake, after his professional debut against José Luis Ramírez in 2013.
Lomachenko and Nakatani both share a common loss to undefeated unified lightweight champion Teófimo López, which Lomachenko cited as the reason why he chose Nakatani and I am certain that Loma will not make the same mistakes twice.
Vasyl traditionally gets off to a slow start, measuring out his opponent for 2 or 3 rounds before overwhelming them with just exceptional movement, accuracy, and power. The guy is a fucking artist.
But his slow start lasted 6 or 7 rounds against a very talented Teó in his last fight, and Lopez managed to shrug off Loma's best in the second half of their matchup to cruise to an easy victory.
This is a "chalk" call because Loma is an OVERWHELMING favorite, but Naktani is also no López and I think the way Loma's last loss pushed him off the front page of the lightweight division for names like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and even Tank Davis has him back on the right track. I could see him take charge of this fight early, wear Nakatani down, and possibly knock his ass out in the late rounds… Looking at the Barstool Sportsbook, I will take the under on 10.5 rounds at +105.
Enjoy the fights and take a report.
-Large