Gervonta Davis and Abner Mares fight Saturday at the Dignity Health Sports Park for the WBA (Super) super featherweight title.
Gervonta Davis enters this fight with a 20-0 record that includes 19 knockouts. This will be Davis’ fifth battle as 2017, and he’s coming off an April win over Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar. Davis fought just once a year ago, but he is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career and will defend his brand new belt for the first time. In the victory, Davis landed nearly 50 percent of his energy shots and generated a third round knockout. Davis is a 24-year-old southpaw who stands 5’6″ with a 69 inch reach. Davis is simply a pitbull in the ring with exceptionally heavy hands along with a pressure style that is devastating once he puts his timing down. Together with knockouts in each of his last 11 fights and eight of these fights ending in the sixth round or earlier, it is fairly obvious what to expect from Tank. Davis is a competitive boxer from Baltimore who attracts another energy to the ring that it is tough for his opponent to coincide. Davis is also rather underrated for his defense, as he’s solid footwork and terrific head motion which enables him to get in and out fairly quickly. Davis is at his finest when boxing onto the interior and is someone who must continue to fly the positions. This is Davis’ career struggle in California.
Abner Mares enters this fight with a 31-3-1 record that includes 15 knockouts. Mares has won five of the last seven fights, and he is coming from a June loss to Leo Santa Cruz. Mares is coming off another loss to Santa Cruz, a bout in which he did very little damage and landed a very poor proportion of his cries. However, Mares will probably be fighting to get a belt to the fifth straight battle and has a opportunity to get probably the biggest win of his career. Mares is a 33-year-old Mexican who stands at 5’4″, includes a 66 inch reach and contains an orthodox stance. Mares is a tough fighter that has been in some serious brawls over his livelihood and he can take a punch, which certainly gives him a chance in this bout. Despite three losses, Mares has only been completed once in his profession, which came against Jhonny Gonzalez in 2013. Mares has a powerful right hand, some decent hands speed and has these flurries that can conquer his opponent. Mares is at his best when he’s pushing the speed and does have a knack for finishing a fight when he has his opponent on the ropes. Mares is a proven winner who’ll be up to the task and won’t be intimated from the glowing lights. This will be Mares’ 13th profession fight in California.
This is going to be a fun fight and one that is guaranteed to test Davis, as Mares is battle tested, tough and has these aggressive combinations that can be tricky for a fighter seeking to land the one major punch. Even though Mares will have his opportunities to make this fight aggressive, Davis will be on the winning side. Tank isn’t only the larger fighter, but he is the stronger puncher and will make Mares pay for any defensive errors he makes. It’s critical Mares is careful of his aggressiveness, as he could easily walk into a power punch which puts him to sleep. We are seeing Davis became a more patient boxer and not rely on the one haymaker. Mares has to pick his spots within this one and can not rely on trading punches, as he will certainly be on the losing side.
I will take Davis to win this bout by TKO / KO at the top round.
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