Gervonta Davis has stirred the pot again, this time calling out a group photo from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as "devil s^&t" and accusing some fighters of "selling their souls." He’s clearly uncomfortable with what he sees going on in those high-profile Saudi events, and he’s not afraid to say so.
The photo showed Turki Alalshikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, posing with several well-known fighters, including Teofimo Lopez, who Davis says looked like a "Honduran vampire." Fans on social media have piled on, calling the scene "cult vibes," and Davis points to questionable outcomes on recent Riyadh cards as proof that everything "is different" there. According to him, it's not a place he trusts to fight without some shady business happening.
Davis also hinted that while some boxers might be flocking to big-money Saudi deals, he has no interest in risking a bizarre loss abroad. He believes the "grain" he’s going against is an unspoken code of hush-hush acceptance from top fighters who enjoy big checks at the cost of authenticity. "It’s numerous fights," Davis said, insisting that controversies in matchups like Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz and Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol are enough to keep him away.
Is “Tank” simply stirring up drama, or is there genuine concern about fairness in these Saudi super-cards? As always with Davis, it’s a little of both.
Prepare for the Davis vs. Roach Jr. bout here.
Image Credit: The Ring