Teofimo Lopez paints a picture of a soft Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, discussing how his management has “babied” him during his 11-year pro career and remembering how weak-minded he seemed during their sparring session years ago.
A Tale of Two Paths
Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) feels he’s had the harder road than the former Mayweather-promoted Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) and has not shied away from the tough fights against killers like Vasily Lomachenko while the Ukrainian talent was still in his prime, firing on all eight cylinders in 2020.
In contrast, Tank is just now getting around to fighting Lomachenko, now 36, for a fight in November if the two can successfully negotiate a deal.
The “Babied” Fighter
Fans have criticized Tank Davis for years because his management has brought him along slowly, choosing not to match him against dangerous apex predators like Lomahenko, Teofimo, Shakur Stevenson, Emanuel Navarrete, Devin Haney, Jaron Ennis, Terence Crawford, Keyshawn Davis, and Raymond Muratalla.
One gets the sense that Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) is a tad bitter about how he’s had the tough road against Lomachenko, George Kambosos Jr, and Jamaine Ortiz yet finds himself as a lesser star than Tank Davis. Indeed, Teofimo is NOT a pay-per-view attraction and can’t sell out venues.
A Bitter Taste of Success
Understandably, Teofimo feels that it’s unfair that he’s had a harder career and finds himself fighting little-known middle-of-the-road fighter Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) this Saturday night on June 29th on regular ESPN at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
“We [Tank Davis and I] got speed, power, IQ, but there is a difference between me and him; I didn’t get babied into this s***. I’m really like that. I don’t wipe the blood when I’m bleeding; I fight. Him, he complains. I remember when we sparred. he hit me in my big a** nose, and he f**** up his hand. He was like, ‘Ah, s***.’ I was 15, and he was 18,” said Teofimo Lopez to the Danza Project about his sparring with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis years ago.
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