Bradley turned the same challenge to Davis. “Right now, you lose, player, you lose,” he said. “Wait for that chance, man. Take that risk.”
The former two-division champion argued that Davis has already proven he belongs at the highest level. He pointed to Davis’ knockout wins over Ryan Garcia, Mario Barrios and Rolando Romero, recalling that Davis has dispatched opponents who continue to put on big events without him.
“Guess who busted his ass?” Bradley said of Garcia. “Thank you Davis.”
The former ESPN analyst emphasized that the issue is not ability, but ambition. In his opinion, a fully committed Davis would “turn this game upside down.” What frustrates him is the absence of sustained appearances against the most dangerous names at lightweight and junior welterweight, divisions that include Shakur Stevenson and Vasyl Lomachenko.
However, Bradley’s appeal runs into a long-standing reality. Since moving up to lightweight in 2019, Davis hasn’t consistently gone after the toughest opponents available. His schedule largely featured carefully selected games rather than extended stretches against the division’s deepest competition. Discussions about a fight with Stevenson never progressed, and other up-and-coming contenders such as Floyd Schofield stayed out of his way.
Gervonta’s recent majority draw against Lamont Roach, which included a debated sequence involving a knee contact and a brief stint over hair grease, heightened questions about focus and preparation after stretches of inactivity.
A sudden shift in approach would go against everything Davis has shown since entering the division. His matchups have followed a steady pattern that has yielded wins and significant income, but not the kind of repeated high-end tests Bradley calls for. Bradley’s message is blunt: hitting power and selective dominance are not the same as sustained elite competition, and the difference will ultimately determine how Davis is remembered.
