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Vinny’s Views: Gervonta Davis Vs Liam Walsh – The Stats, The Facts, Fight Prediction and Lucci Bragging As Usual!

lr_weigh-in-gervonta-davis-tmt-trappfotos-06022016-7013-720x480_1By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

Just a year ago Floyd Mayweather, JR. was enthusiastically bragging that a young upstart in his stable was the future of boxing. The gent he was referring to was the highly enigmatic Gervonta Davis who went from highly touted prospect to world champion in just four years and seventeen fights. Those who have had the privilege to witness the kid’s fists of elegance were treated surprisingly to the coronation of an original boxer in the making, not a phony carbon copy of Mayweather, JR. cut from the Adrien Broner mold. The kid is for real.

In his first title defense, he won the lottery on several levels. He has a mandatory in front of him that has not been gift wrapped with a “call it in” conclusion on a toe tag. Enter Liam Walsh. This boxer goes by the moniker of “Destiny” and it’s all about to get real in a heartbeat. Walsh is an undefeated brawler who lives for the pocket and erupts sheer mayhem in fistic fury bound in leather trying to win every second of every round.

Davis has before himself an adversary to push his talents to the next level instead of following the cherry picking standards of so many of today’s posers. Here’s a writer’s inquiry. How the hell has WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder not been forced to fight a mandatory contender yet? A young Turk like Gervonta is more than a breath of fresh air in a sport polluted with corporate business as usual politics, but he has the talent and appeal to be a trend setter and like Floyd before him, set the standard for accountability for this era of fighters.

The Stats:

The champion has a misleading moniker of “Tank”. He is not by any means a Shawn Porter human battering ram type of fighter. His agility is often beguiling as he often shrinks the pocket to phone booth warfare. The American hails from Baltimore Maryland.
Standing all of 5’6” with a 69” reach and fights out of the southpaw stance at 22 years of age.

Gervonta’s record is 17-0, 16 KO’s.

The challenger Walsh goes by nickname, “Destiny”. At 5’7” and unconfirmed wingspan of 70”. Liam hails from England and also fights from the southpaw stance making for an intriguing night of “righties”. He will enter ring just 2 days after turning 31. His undefeated ledger boasts a clean slate without a blemish at 21-0, 14 KO’s.

Previous fight:

Gervonta put all his skills and arsenal on display this past January in dismantling defending titlist Jose Pedraza at Barclay’s Center in New York in an electrifying performance that set the stage for main event. Davis outfought the champion inside the pocket and outboxed him ring center. Instead of coasting and buying rounds he set traps and exploded in key tangible flurries every round looking to exploit a knockout. Pedraza was often overwhelmed by both speed and angles that caught him turning into punches and too slow to pull trigger on counters. A cheering section from Baltimore lead the crowd to their feet at bout’s conclusion. I covered this bout ringside and was impressed with the kid’s poise at press conference as much as the artistry of his fisticuffs.

Walsh fought and won title eliminator against one Andrey Klimov by unanimous decision. As per his style he fought with orchestrated power bursts of relentless aggression letting his fists dictate the tempo.

The venue:

At stake here is Davis’s IBF Junior Lightweight title hosted at Copper Box Arena, London England on May 20. Promoted by Showtime, BT Sports and BoxNation.

Styles:

The champion is a foreboding combination of daft moves, cunning, and power. While he may not be heavy handed he elicits so much tork and speed on his punches often coming from blind angles that the results are devastating none the less. His footwork is not mind boggling of the Vasyl Lomachenko variety but unique with crafty dance steps and flawless balance. He also owns the uncanny ability to fight orthodox, and very well on balls of his feet where he pivots on a dime from either ambidextrous side.

The challenger is a come forward brawler who works behind a hard jab but prefers to settle in the trenches as soon as first bell rings. He bangs with both hands to either side of body and head with equal aggression. When an opponent has moved out of range he collects himself with two step tango behind a heavy jab and looks to repeat the onslaught in repetitive fashion. He has two glaring flaws that will parlay themselves into equation as to where the odds lay, and who will be victorious if they are exploited. He is a very flat footed fighter making for heavy handed combos but limiting his range and versatility. While he boxes with traditional guard up behind a range finding jab, he neglects all defense when he opens up his body attack looking to cut his foe down. He does break the pattern with beautiful uppercuts but his chin is there to be had with counters.

Odds:

The Vegas line is steady and accurate holding at -420 for the champion. +335 for challenger.

What to look for fight night:

Footwork will parlay itself as the key to victory, not power nor punch output. Look for both men to be unloading power shots at first bell but keep a keen eye out for the tiny adjustments Gervonta makes in negating Liam’s attack. If southpaw matchup proves to be a difficult task landing his shots he’ll switch seamlessly to orthodox without missing a heartbeat. Both men own hellacious uppercuts for men their size so getting inside pocket adds a concerning factor for both corners.

The Vinny Factor:

While writer’s across the board will give credence to Liam as a very live underdog who could pull an upset I liken Walsh to another Liam from England; former WBO Junior middleweight champion Liam Smith. Another highly touted fighter from across the pond who was producing brutal knockouts of local talent but hadn’t ventured out of the comfort of his play pen at home and never tested the best competition the alphabets offered. Matched against power punching Canelo Alvarez who owns a very similar style he simply crumbled at the onslaught of someone throwing explosive detonated bombs on the same level as himself and never had to experience war at that level.

Liam Walsh has been a pro for ten years and knocked the smile off every confident opponent he faced but he isn’t mentally ready to tangle with a polished hurricane like Davis. The fact that Walsh reaches too often with his punches while neglecting his defensive guard will be the openings that the champion will exploit as rounds tick away.

Prediction:

Expect a thrilling fight. Gervonta cannot allow a decision go to the scorecards overseas. While it may be a safe pick to handicap him winning on cards his corner knows the dirty politics of boxing and will encourage him to turn up the heat and force a stoppage when opportunity presents itself instead of playing it safe. Gervonta by TKO in ten.

After thoughts:

At 22, a defending champion with his star on the rise where does he go from here? To get the pantheon glory of his hero Floyd Mayweather, JR. he must continue to challenge himself and not merely make title defenses. He has three attractive match ups awaiting against the other current belt holders in 130 pound weight class. First up, WBA champion Jezreel Corrales of Panama who owns a record of 21-1, 8 KO’s, with 1 no contest. Next up WBC champion Miguel Berchelt of Mexico.

The taller fighter owns a superb ledger of 31-0, 28 KO’s. Least we not forget, be still my heart; a unification of perhaps boxing’s pound for pound best WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Vasyl modest little dossier is simply 8-1, 6KO’s yet is considered the matrix of this era. Matching the wunderkind Davis against prodigy Lomachenko is a purist’s dream for December 2018. Let’s keep our fingers crossed Loma doesn’t decide to jump another weight class looking for a challenge against the likes of Mikey Garcia before this one comes to fruition.

Stay tuned…


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