Tim Bradley believes the Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Vasily Lomachenko is a “50-50” one that the Baltimore native could lose.
Bradley notes that the two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) is the best fighter that WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) has fought in his 11-year pro career, and it doesn’t matter that Loma is seven years older than the 29-year-old.
Tank gave up rounds against his last opponent, Frank Martin, and in fights against Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios. He doesn’t have the boxing skills to beat Lomachenko without scoring a knockout, and that’s never good when a fighter is solely dependent on winning by a knockout.
Lomachenko: A Different Breed
“I think Loma is going to be more challenging. I think it’s the most cerebral guy Tank has been in the ring with. I think he’s the most athletic guy he’s been in the ring with,” said Tim Bradley to Fighthype about the proposed fight between Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Vasily Lomachenko in November.
It would be bad for Tank if he’s seven rounds behind against Lomachenko, needing to score a come-from-behind knockout to win in November. Lomachenko will play defense, and he’s not foolish enough to fight off the ropes as Martin and Leo Santa Cruz did against Tank.
“He’s A-level, even at 36. He’s an A-level guy. He’s been in with everybody, and he’s been able to defuse everybody’s bombs that has been in the ring with him,” said Bradley. “You go back and watch ‘The Axeman [Nicholas Walters], and I know that was a younger Loma [in 2016].”
Against Teofimo Lopez, Lomachenko was fighting with one arm and dealing with a much bigger and younger fighter. Even then, Lomachenko dominated five of the last six rounds of the fight.
“You go back and watch Teo. That was a younger Loma. Teo has power, too, and he was able to avoid it and get his stuff off on the back end, and he fought him with a torn shoulder, too. Loma is smart. You don’t think he’s been watching Tank for a very long time?” said Bradley.
Skill-wise, Tank is very limited, and he has a bad habit of covering up behind a high guard for extended periods in his fights. You can tell from watching him that he will suffer many losses as he gets older if he doesn’t retire.
Tank’s Achilles’ Heel
“He’s been wanting to fight him years ago. Is the age a factor in this? It could be. Could Loma be battle-worn? Yeah. 400 amateur fights, but I think he’s smart and I think he can make waves in the fight. I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Tank is just going to catch him and knock him out,” said Bradley.
While Lomachenko isn’t as young as he used to be, but his mind is as sharp, and the things he’s learned over the years could be enough to make up for the lost youth and Tank’s power advantage.
“I think it’s going to be challenging for Tank. I think Tank is going to need to catch him and hurt him in order to cement a victory. I think it’s 50-50. I think Tank can win this fight and knock him out,” said Bradley.
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