After defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 over the weekend, new bantamweight world champion Sean O'Malley used part of his post-fight press conference to call out Gervonta Davis for a boxing bout in the near future.
Ryan Garcia, who was knocked out by "Tank" this past April, warned:
To that, O'Malley responded: "Like you did or different?"
Well, on Monday while speaking with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take," O'Malley disregarded Garcia's warning and once again shared his interest in having a boxing match with Davis, the WBA "Regular" lightweight champion who touts a record of 29-0 with 27 KOs.
"I'm in the fight business," O'Malley began telling Smith. "I'm looking for big fights.
"I know what I possess in my boxing skills," he continued. "I've always done really good against guys who are as short as Gervonta."
Davis stands 5'5 1/2" to O'Malley's 5'11".
O'Malley added: "It's a massive fight. I truly, truly believe that I can win that fight. I'm not calling for it next. I'm building up for that fight."
When Sterling lunged with a left hand Saturday night, O'Malley showed off some of his boxing skills by calmly stepping back and clocking "Funkmaster" with a sharp and vicious right. A few punches later and he was crowned the new bantamweight champion.
But doing the same against a caliber fighter like "Tank" would be a stiff order, considering how Davis combines boxing skills with explosive power that no pro has been able to find a solution for. Plus, "Tank" has knocked out taller opponents in the past.