According to a report from The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger, a 140-pound bout between Gervonta “Tank” Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) and Mario Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) is “in the works” and could take place this summer.
The pair would be fighting for Barrios’ WBA (Regular) Junior Welterweight title.
Davis, one of boxing’s brightest young stars, currently holds the WBA (Super) Super Featherweight title and a secondary version of the WBA’s Lightweight Title. The 26-year-old would be moving up two weight classes to fight Barrios.
A power puncher, Davis, who fights exclusively on Showtime, is coming off a vicious sixth-round knockout victory over Leo Santa Cruz this past October in which he retained both of his titles. The fight marked Davis’ first as a pay-per-view headliner and many felt as if the finish was 2020’s best knockout.
The undefeated Baltimore native has proven to be a draw in multiple locations and is being groomed as one of boxing’s next big attractions.
The 25-year-old Barrios, meanwhile, most recently competed on the Davis-Santa Cruz undercard, where he scored a sixth-round TKO victory over Ryan Karl. Before that, he earned a unanimous decision win over Batyr Akhmedov in September 2019, which earned him his title.
Barrios, a San Antonio native who has competed at both Welterweight and Junior Welterweight, will hold significant size advantages over Tank. He stands 5-foot-10 and owns a 71-inch reach as opposed to Davis, who is listed at 5-foot-5 1/2 and owns a 67.5 inch reach.
As of now, an exact date and location for the matchup have not yet been determined.
