Photo by Mark Robinson\/SHOWTIME<\/strong><\/p>\nIBF Junior Lightweight World Champion Gervonta Davis, undefeated No. 1 contender Liam Walsh and promoter Floyd Mayweather got into a jarring session during Thursday\u2019s final press conference at Landmark Hotel in London just two days before Saturday\u2019s world title clash on SHOWTIME from Copper Box Arena.<\/p>\n
Baltimore\u2019s \u201cTank\u201d Davis, America\u2019s youngest world champion, will attempt to become the first American to successfully defend his title on British soil in nearly a decade*, while Walsh (21-0, 14 KOs) aims to dethrone the man that Mayweather has christened the \u201cfuture of boxing.\u201d (*Note: Paulie Malignaggi vs. Lovemore Ndou in 2008)<\/p>\n
Davis vs. Walsh is part of a split-site, four-fight SHOWTME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast that begins on Saturday, May 20, at 6 p.m. ET\/3 p.m. PT. In the main event, Gary Russell Jr. will make his second featherweight title defense and long-awaited homecoming against mandatory challenger Oscar Escandon live from MGM National Harbor just outside of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old Davis, who has won by knockout in 16 of his 17 professional fights, will make the first defense of the IBF belt to won via KO over previously unbeaten Jose Pedraza in January. The 30-year-old Walsh has won by knockout in three of his last four bouts and will be a decided local favorite at an expected sold-out Copper Box Arena.<\/p>\n
The pound-for-pound great turned promoter Mayweather and Walsh\u2019s two brothers, fellow professional fighters Michael and Ryan, led the jarring during Thursday\u2019s festivities with Mayweather claiming \u201cI\u2019m 40 years old and I\u2019ll kick all three of your asses in the same night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Walsh was \u201cnot intimidated one little bit\u201d by Mayweather or Tank, while the southpaw Davis promised \u201cOn Saturday night you\u2019ll be on your ass. And then your brothers can get in next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Below are highlights of what the participants had to say on Thursday:<\/p>\n
GERVONTA DAVIS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m just on a whole different level. I do know they built you good, but you\u2019ve been dropped before. They\u2019ve been protecting you from the power, so I know you have no chin. On Saturday night you\u2019ll be on your ass. And then your brothers can get in next.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t run Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just been trying to stay level-headed. Getting that belt brings me that much closer to what I want to do \u2013 to take over the sport of boxing. With the performance I put on Saturday night it will bring me a step closer to being the star of boxing and follow after Floyd Mayweather.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving Floyd in my corner gives me a lot of confidence. Floyd has been pretty hands on with me, he\u2019s been getting up and training and running with me. He was my hero in the sport of boxing coming up so to just have him in my corner now is amazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won the belt and now my focus is to take over the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in Baltimore, it has a high crime rate. It\u2019s been tough. Where I\u2019m from the gym is in the hood. If it wasn\u2019t for the gym I\u2019d either be in jail or dead. That\u2019s not what I want to be. Boxing saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
LIAM WALSH:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m always confident. As I\u2019ve said many times, his performance against Pedraza was very good. I applaud him. Tank is the best fighter I\u2019ve come up against in my career so far, but I\u2019m also the best fighter he\u2019s going to come against in his career so far. So it makes for a great fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s physically very good. He\u2019s very fast, very powerful. He\u2019s a good puncher and performed beyond his years against Pedraza. You can\u2019t knock his performance whatsoever, but there\u2019s still a lot of questions that he has to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe southpaw stance doesn\u2019t affect me too much. I can switch between the two. I\u2019m comfortable in both stances so that doesn\u2019t bother me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I can put it into words what it would mean to win the title. It\u2019s been a dream of mine since I was a little child. The feeling, the emotion, I can\u2019t put it into words. This is the biggest night of my life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are definitely flaws in his game and they\u2019re there for me to exploit. I plan to take advantage of his mistakes. When I was 22, there were definitely mistakes I made that I wouldn\u2019t make now. So maybe it\u2019s the perfect time to fight him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not intimidated one little bit. Not by Floyd, not by Tank, not by anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI predict I will win the fight. I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if I won by knockout, I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if I won on points. You won\u2019t see me celebrating like a mad man if I knock out Tank because I know I\u2019m capable of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR.:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s not just one performance. It takes more than just one performance. We truly believe that he can be a great fighter, but he came in his last fight with only 16 fights and beat the champion. We know he\u2019s not going to lay down. This kid has dynamite in both hands. If he keeps going out there beating great fighters he cannot be denied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen its lights, camera, action and the bell rings, 17 times he came out victorious and 16 by way of (knockout).<\/p>\n
\u201cHis team does a remarkable job, but it\u2019s my job as a friend and a father figure to tell him to come to Vegas to get him the best work. We wanted him to have different looks. We want guys that were going to push him, give him different styles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis kid, he busts his ass day in and day out. We\u2019re going to continue to go out there and do what we do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already conquered your country once (with Ricky Hatton) and now we\u2019re going to conquer it again on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t miss being in the gym at all. If I can push this fighter to surpass me and break every record, that\u2019s a goal of mine. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here to do. Records are made to be broken.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember when I met Tank on the Canelo (Alvarez) press tour and he asked to take a photo with me. When I took a photo with him I said, \u2018there\u2019s something about that kid that looks special.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came to my gym and put in some real good work and I reached out to him and said, \u2018whatever it takes to work with you and get you to the next level, let\u2019s make it happen.\u2019 I told him, \u2018if you listen to me and continue to work hard I truly believe you can be world champion within 24 months.\u2019 And that\u2019s just one stepping stone. As of right now he\u2019s one of the only fighters in boxing facing back-to-back undefeated fighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank Warren, Liam Walsh, we just want to commend you guys for stepping up to the plate and making this fight happen and giving the fans what they want to see. The fans want to see blood, sweat and tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cTank is always in tremendous fights, he\u2019s a big knockout artist. I truly believe in my man, and I want to work with him until the end of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n