Gervonta Davis will fight Mario Barrios this summer

[EBK String]

A 140-pound fight between Gervonta Davis, one of the rising stars in boxing, and Mario Barrios is in the works for this summer, sources tell The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger.



Davis — the 130-pound champion, who also holds a secondary title at 135 pounds — will move up two divisions for the bout. The 26-year-old fights exclusively on Showtime; his last fight was his first as a pay-per-view headliner.



'Tank' Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) is coming off a dominant performance against former champion Leo Santa Cruz in October, finishing his opponent with a vicious uppercut that was The Athletic’s KO of the Year in 2020.



Barrios, a 25-year-old from San Antonio, is undefeated through 26 fights (17 KOs). He was last seen on the Davis-Santa Cruz undercard, defeating Ryan Karl by sixth-round TKO. Barrios, at 5-foot-10 with a 71-inch reach, boasts major physical advantages over Davis, who stands at 5-foot-5 ½ with a 67.5-inch reach.



Date and location for the matchup are still being decided at this time.


Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios in the works for this summer at 140 pounds: Sources



These top boxers not fighting each other is disgusting. Literally nobody wanted this fight.

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[Conscious Pilot]

Barrios should be fighting Prograis for a Broner Sweepstakes fight and Tank I don’t know maybe drag up Gary Russell Jr or even Chris Colbert would be a great fight. But I fukk with this fight and it’s classic PBC matchmaking we never asked for but we’ll all watch when it’s fight night.

 

[Loose]

So tank said fukk the best in his own division and/or 135... instead want to fight Barrios for a fake belt. Said it before but this a ridiculously stupid fight, no one asked for this shyt.

 

[desjardins]

Tank trying become a latino killer
Had hopes he would take up GRJ call out but figured it was zero chance of that or him fighting one of the other young guns at 135

 

[Loose]

Tank trying become a latino killer
Had hopes he would take up GRJ call out but figured it was zero chance of that or him fighting one of the other young guns at 135

Yeah its dissapointing, seems tank career is basically going to be fame based instead of resume.

 

[patscorpio]

this is a fight that can also backfire..barrios isnt one of them small 140 pounders either..tank's power may carry up but his conditioning prolly wont

 

[mr. smoke weed]

140? dahell

 

[Dallas' 4 Eva]

I like Tank, but this is a trash fight.

 

[GzUp]

this is a fight that can also backfire..barrios isnt one of them small 140 pounders either..tank's power may carry up but his conditioning prolly wont

That’s what I’m saying, tank is a KO waiting to happen tbh. He can crack but he’s short as hell.

 

[GzUp]

Looks like he’s 5’10 with good pop.

what are the odds

 

[Agent Mulder]

This is a clear Ryan Garcia duck! Ducking all actual competition at 135lbs. What a fraud.

 

[Loose]

This is a clear Ryan Garcia duck! Ducking all actual competition at 135lbs. What a fraud.

Eh.. I think barrios better better Ryan right now imo

 

[KingOFKings]

this is a fight that can also backfire..barrios isnt one of them small 140 pounders either..tank's power may carry up but his conditioning prolly wont

Yup, people are hating on this fight but it's interesting as hell as a pure boxing fan. Barrios is also almost half a foot taller and is still hungry and vicious.

It was made because it's an easy fight for PBC to make, and they've been showcasing Barrios on PPV undercards for a while now.

It's not as exciting because Barrios is not a big name, so I get why people aren't happy.

I would much rather see Tank vs GRJ or Tank vs Ryan, Teo, Haney etc.... but I'm glad he's at least taking on a challenge in Barrios rather than an older Mares or some sh1t.

Bottom line, it was an easy fight for PBC to negotiate, no cross promotions etc. Ellerbe also pushes Barrios when he has been on undercards, so I'm not surprised.

 

[Bigblackted4]

Wait people really think this fight is trash. Just say you never seen Barrios and go do som research first.

 

[Rain]

I mean I'd rather see him fight people in his own division but I won't pretend this fight isn't intriguing. He not fighting a can here. He got a strong chance of getting KTFO. Barrios is solid and probably a more dangerous matchup for him than anyone at 135.

I'm actually surprised they even went this route.