Floyd Mayweather Jr: Tank’s Boxing Skills Is Really Better Than His Power

This weekend on Halloween night, October 31, WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis makes his first main event pay-per-view appearance against WBA Super-Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz.

Davis’ head coach, Floyd Mayweather Jr, has urged Davis to rely more on his skill for this training camp, rather than his power. With a 96% knockout ratio, that may not be the easiest thing to do.

Luckily for him, he’s got the most technically sound boxer to ever do it in his corner. Mayweather and his longtime coach Calvin Ford have been teaching him how to handle the pressure of his first pay-per-view main event.

Mayweather wants Davis to prove that he can actually box, not just simply hit hard. The retired five-division world champion had the following to say about Davis as a boxer:

“A lot of people don’t know that Tank’s boxing skills is really better than his power. He just didn’t have to use his boxing skills.

“But Tank can really, really box his ass off. So, when we in the boxing gym, we tell Tank a lot of times, ‘stop always resorting just to your power and use your boxing skills.’ And that’s what Tank did in this training camp.”

Leo Santa Cruz also chimed in and gave his thoughts on the match up:

“We know we have a hard fight, I think the hardest fight in my career. We’re facing, you know, a hard-hitting fighter. You know, he’s got great skills and he’s, you know, being trained by the best ever, Floyd Mayweather.

“I know he’s gonna come with everything. So, you know, my determination is to go out there, beat Tank Davis, and I can say I beat one of the best, and I beat, you know, a fighter that’s been trained by Mayweather.

“So that, for me, that’s gonna be something really big, really great. I’m motivated in the gym. I wanna go out there and give the fans a great fight.”

This is quite a massive fight that could really go either way. Of course, Davis is favored to win, but they’re both so great at what they do.

Davis comes into this fight with a record of 23-0 with 22 knockouts, and Santa Cruz comes in with a record of 37-1-1 with 19 knockouts, with his only defeat coming to Carl Frampton via majority decision. Santa Cruz won the immediate rematch via majority decision however, avenging his lone defeat, and regaining back his title.

Davis will be defending his WBA lightweight title this weekend, while Santa Cruz will be defending his WBA super-featherweight title. Davis is over six years younger than Santa Cruz, and doesn’t have all the experience Santa Cruz does.

However, Davis did have a longer amateur career, going 206-15, winning numerous championships and tournaments. Santa Cruz also had a lengthy amateur career, as he went 148-7, also winning many championships and tournaments.

Who do you see winning this epic 130 lb title clash?