LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather has briefly put his retirement on hold in order to face UFC star Conor McGregor, but even as he steps back into the ring Saturday night, Mayweather is also looking toward the future by taking advantage of some major exposure for his Mayweather Promotions stable of fighters.
The most promising is junior lightweight world titleholder Gervonta Davis, a dynamic fighter who Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe calls “the most exciting fighter in boxing, period.”
That’s why Davis was Mayweather’s choice to fight in the co-feature of Mayweather’s junior middleweight bout against McGregor on Saturday (Showtime PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, where Davis will defend his 130-pound belt for the second time when he takes on Francisco Fonseca.
Davis has star potential and hopes to shine in such a big spot.
“I’m grateful and blessed to be in the position for Floyd to pick me to be on the card. I’m thankful to have him in my corner,” said Davis, who fought his way out of poverty and one of the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore to win a world title. “I think I have the skills to be able to carry on what he is leaving the boxing fans with. I’m preparing myself to be a great, great fighter and also a big star in the sport.”
Davis isn’t a big star yet, but he has the kind of crowd-pleasing style that can go a long way toward making that happen. He is also, at 22, the youngest active American world titleholder and the third youngest in the sport, just a few months older than a pair of 22-year-old titleholders from Japan — flyweight Daigo Higa (the youngest) and junior flyweight Kosei Tanaka.
“I’ve accomplished a lot at a young age. It’s all because of the hard work that I’ve put in for my entire life,” Davis said. “I don’t complain, I just keep working every day. I’m ready to take full advantage of this chance I have. It’s just one step on a long road I see to the top of this sport.”
Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) stormed to a seventh-round knockout of Jose “Sniper” Pedraza on Jan. 14 in New York to win the title. He was even more impressive in a third-round destruction of British mandatory challenger Liam Walsh in his first defense, which took place on May 20 in London.
Now comes Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs), 23, of Costa Rica, who will be boxing in the United States for the first time and taking on his first recognizable opponent.
“Training has been sharp. I’ve been stopping a lot of guys in training,” Davis said. “I can’t wait to get in the ring and give the fans a big knockout.
“I know I have a tough undefeated opponent who’s going to come in and try to take my belt, and I have to take care of business. He has some decent power so I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.”
Fonseca said he is excited for the chance to win a world title, and plans to take advantage of it.
“We are ready for anything Gervonta Davis will bring. We had a great training camp and I’m in optimal condition to go win that title,” Fonseca said through an interpreter. “I am ready and excited to be here in Las Vegas for this great challenge. It’s amazing to have a chance to fight for a world title. It’s always been my dream to fight here in Las Vegas. I’m going to start out strong from the first round. If a knockout comes, it comes, but what I do know is that I’m going to leave the ring with that world title on Saturday night.”
Davis and Mayweather don’t agree. They see Davis becoming one of boxing’s next big names, with a strong performance against Fonseca as part of that road.
“I do see myself being that big star,” Davis said. “I do believe I have the skills and ability to be that big star. I just need to be me, be fan friend and keep connecting with the boxing fans. I’m just trying to stay grounded because I know what I want to do in the sport. It’s not hard because I know what I want to do in the sport. It’s not hard to stay focused. I have a great team. I’m definitely grateful and I want to do great things in the sport.”
Mayweather hopes to do his part by continuing to expose Davis and other young Mayweather Promotions fighters to the public by putting his muscle behind them.
“It’s been great to be in a position as a promoter to give knowledge to young fighters,” said Mayweather. “It’s one of my ultimate goals to take a young fighter and make them a household name. I want to take fighters to the next level.”
