Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down boxing, one of the marquee fights slated to be announced was Leo Santa Cruz against Gervonta Davis. Even though it is unknown when boxing will return, Santa Cruz is staying sharp in his preparation for a potential Davis clash.
"That's a big fight," Santa Cruz said on "PBC At Home." "Hopefully it gets made, that's what we're getting ready for."
The biggest question of a proposed Santa Cruz-Davis fight is what division it takes place at? Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs), a former world champion at 122 and 126 pounds, competed at 130 for the first time in November when he defeated Miguel Flores via unanimous decision to claim the WBA (Super) junior lightweight title to win his third world title in three different weight classes. Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) relinquished the belt Santa Cruz just won to move to lightweight in December and stopped Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 12th round.
Davis has had notable weight issues in the past. He came in two pounds overweight for his IBF junior lightweight title defense against Francisco Fonseca, which served as the co-main event for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor fight. Davis was stripped of the belt but went on to notch an eighth-round knockout of Fonseca. In the Gamboa bout, Davis needed two attempts to make the 135-pound limit. Despite Davis’ past problems, Santa Cruz is insistent they will be meeting at 130 pounds.
"I'm not that heavy right now. I'm like 140, 145 now, and I am fighting at 130, so I'm not that heavy," Santa Cruz said. "The plan is to fight 'Tank' Davis. We're going to fight at 130. We're not going to go up to 135 right now. We want to fight at 130. That's the plan."
Why does Santa Cruz refuse to budge on his stance of moving up in weight for the second time in two outings?
"135 would be a tough fight because I would be giving away a weight advantage to Tank Davis," Santa Cruz admitted. "I think 130 is our weight, and I think I have a great chance there at 130. I've been staying in the gym, we've been busy. Gervonta is the fight that I want. Hopefully, it gets made."
Although many boxing pundits have pegged Davis as a sizable favorite due to being the bigger fighter and having more experience competing at 130 pounds, Santa Cruz feels his overall skill set gives him a better chance of success than people think.
"Tank Davis is a great fighter," Santa Cruz said. "He has great skills, great power. People might think that I don't have a chance against him, but I think I do. I may not be as strong as him, but I think with my speed and throwing (a lot of) punches, I could overwhelm him and get him tired. As long as he don't catch me with a good shot, I think I have a good chance."