Advisor Leonard Ellerbe says he understands why lightweight champion Vasily Lomachenko chose not to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis this year, but he is open to the possibility of it happening later.
Ellerbe isn’t sure if Lomachenko will retire, but if he does, he will respect that decision because he feels he’s had a great career. Indeed, Lomachenko won three divisional world titles and chose to fight at 135 when he could have stayed at the top for many years if he had stayed at 130 or 126.
Lomachenko, 36, took the rest of 2024 off after capturing the IBF lightweight title with an 11th-round knockout of George Kambosos Jr. on May 12.
Ellerbe mentions that a fight between Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) and WBA lightweight champion Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is the biggest one that Loma’s promoters can make on Top Rank.
Tank Davis is tentatively scheduled to defend against Lamont Roach on March 1, 2025. It’s a fight that has been postponed several times since it was initially scheduled for December 14th.
Why did Lomachenko decide to take time off?
“He just decided to take the rest of the year off. He had a lot going on, especially with what his country was going through,” Leonard Ellerbe said KO Artist Sport about Vasily Lomachenko deciding not to take the fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis at this point.
It is believed that Lomachenko chose not to fight Davis next due to these reasons:
- Rate concerns: Lomachenko lost a controversial decision to Devin Haney on May 20, 2023 and he is unhappy with the judging of that fight.
- Not motivated enough: The motivation isn’t there to return to the ring for what would be a tough fight against Tank.
- Risk not worth it: Fighting Tank Davis at this point in Loma’s career would involve a lot of risk, and it could end badly for him.
- Drafted to Lose: Did Tank wait until Lomachenko got old before fighting him? This could be a reason for Loma’s reluctance to fight him.
“I have nothing but respect for him, Egis, and they know this is the biggest fight they can humanly put on,” Ellerbe continued about Lomachenko. “This is the biggest fight for Top Rank they can make, and they know what it is.
“So, if he (Lomachenko) chooses to ride off into the sunset, so be it. He had a good career, and I respect him. He knows what it’s like against Tank Davis. He certainly knows what it looks like.”
Some fans believe Lomachenko feels that Tank Davis deliberately waited until he was in his mid-30s before fighting him. In other words, Tank aged him before agreeing to fight this battle to secure victory. Lomachenko wanted to fight tank six years ago in 2018 but was ignored.
Tank Davis’ Sweepstakes: Who’s Next?
“He’s a fighter at heart, he’s a champion. Tank is not going to sit and wait. If it jumps off, it jumps off, and if it doesn’t, the show goes on. It was a fight I thought was going to happen, but the show must go on. You have to move on to the next one. Who’s next? Who else is going to win the Tank Sweepstakes?” Ellerbe said.
The ideal lucky sweepstakes winner for ‘The Big Tuna’ tank fight is #1 ranked William Zepeda, who is the most entertaining fighter among the contenders and is primed for a world title shot.
