Tim Bradley has grilled WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis about his choice for his next title defense, picking super featherweight Lamont Roach to defend against on December 14 in Houston, Texas.
Bradley says he doesn’t know what Gervonta’s management is trying to cover up by pairing him against such weak opponents, but he thinks he’s a “Total Fraud”, being matched against soft guys to make him look better than he really is .
Instead of fighting Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), commentator Bradley Tank says Davis should face #3 WBA contender Edwin De Los Santos, who gave Shakur Stevenson all kinds of trouble last November in their fight for the vacant WBC lightweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Bradley says that De Los Santos is in the same stable as Tank Davis, and it would have been an easy fight to make. The fact that Tank’s management did not make it to the fight with De Los Santos makes Bradley wonder why.
“Lamont Roach was the frontrunner at the time (two weeks ago) and now he’s moving up from 130 pounds. This is another fighter that pulls Tank up from 130. He already did it with Hector Luis Garcia (and Leo Santa Cruz). Now he’s doing it with Lamont Roach,” Mike Coppinger continued Xtalking about Gervonta Davis beating super featherweight Lamont Roach Jr. handpicked to defend his WBA lightweight title on December 14.
Coppinger and Bradley may not have kept up with Tank Davis’ career, because if they did, they would have already noticed that his management has chosen his opposition carefully since he first turned pro in 2013.
Tank Davis’ career was such as producing a product to make him look good and prevent him from being broken by one of the talented fighters in the 130, 135 and 140-lb weight divisions. He would have lost many times over if his management matched him against the sharks in those divisions. We’ve seen who Tank has fought, and he’s never taken on any dangerous fights. He is now hitting 30 years old, and he will be washed out soon. No matter who his management pits him against, he will lose.
“This is a very overwhelming battle. It’s hard to get excited about this one. We know what will happen. It’s going to be another Tank Davis KO victim, just like Frank Martin in June. Tank was willing to fight someone tougher here (Vasily Lomachenko). “I don’t want to criticize him too much, but it’s not a good consolation prize,” Coppinger said.
“Man, these are matches. Listen, Matchmaking can cover up any fighter’s imperfections,” commentator Tim Bradley said of Gervonta Davis’ selection of Roach. “I’m just going to let you know. It’s just like the makeup you’re wearing now. Both of you guys are good looking but in reality you and Bernado (Osuna) are ugly as hell. I’m going to keep it 100 with you guys.
“Look, this is the Tank Protection Program. This has been going on for a long time, folks. They brought in guys from the lower weight classes to get in on Tank, and Tank looks spectacular. It’s a cover-up. I’m going to tell you right now. I think Tank is a good fighter. I don’t know how great he is, but from the looks of it and the matches he’s had, the guy looks like a total fraud.
“Put him in the ring with someone who can fight back, someone with a good IQ as good as him. They say they don’t have an opponent for him. Yes, you do. You do have an opponent in your stable. His name is (Edwin) De Los Santos. We won’t mind and the fans won’t mind paying for a De Los Santos fight, but they (Tank’s management) are covering something, and I don’t know what it is.
“Is it the power of De Los Santos that they are worried about? The fact that he’s a southpaw because Tank talked a lot when Shakur Stevenson put everyone to sleep with De Los Santos, but he won’t stand in the ring and face De Los Santos. This is the fight everyone wants to see.
“No one is going to pay for this PPV. I’m going to let you know right now. People are going to show up because it’s Tank Davis, but those PPV numbers you’re chasing. It’s just gonna be a wishing well, man. Just like many of the PPVs we see these days, a wishing well. We wish they would do big numbers. If you have big fights, there will be big numbers, period,” Bradley said.
There are going to be fans who love the Tank vs. Roach card on PPV will buy because the undercard will be the Stephen Fulton Vs. Brandon Figueroa remains. That fight alone will generate interest, and Jermall Ccharlo will fight on the undercard. Older sentimental fans who remember when he was an active fighter many years ago will want to watch him against the nameless.
