WARRANT ISSUED! GERVONTA DAVIS LOSES WBA TITLE STATUS AS POLICE HUNT BEGINS IN MIAMI
Gervonta Davis is officially "Champion in Recess." Explore the Miami arrest warrant and the WBA's plan for the vacant 135lb title.
Gervonta Davis just lost his WBA lightweight title after police issued an active arrest warrant for domestic violence.
So, is his career over? Not technically. But let's be real, nobody expects to see him fighting again anytime soon.
The Miami Gardens Police say Davis faces charges of battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping after an alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Rossel, at Tootsies Cabaret back in October. Surveillance video apparently backs up her story, and the cops are working with the U.S. Marshals to find Davis.
People keep calling his future “uncertain” or “in limbo”—not done, but definitely not thriving. If Davis gets arrested and convicted, he’s looking at prison time and probably losing sponsors. That could wipe out the best years of his career. On the other hand, if this case wraps up and he gets his licence back, he could technically return, since the WBA just made him “champion in recess” instead of stripping the title for good.
So who takes his place as WBA lightweight champ? For now, nobody. Davis is still the “champion in recess”. The WBA has made the lightweight belt vacant and plans to keep things rolling by setting up a fight between top contenders for the title. They haven’t announced the matchup yet, but names like Floyd Schofield Jr are already getting thrown around.
Meanwhile, social media is a mess. Some fans are still holding out hope for a comeback, but critics are piling on. Rossel's lawyer says they don’t know where Davis is and plan to serve him their lawsuit as soon as he’s found. A lot of people feel like the WBA should’ve acted sooner, considering Davis’ long history of legal trouble — not just this case, but previous domestic violence accusations and a hit-and-run.
Some folks even think he shouldn’t get to keep the “champion in recess” status at all — just strip him and move on.
At 31, Davis isn’t officially retired, but his boxing future is up in the air. He’s spent more time dealing with legal problems than actually fighting over the last couple of years, and the lightweight division isn’t waiting for him. Big fights are lined up — Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez and Keyshawn Davis vs. Jamaine Ortiz — and Davis’ name, once always in the mix, has basically disappeared from those conversations.
Right now, this latest news just pushes him further out of the spotlight.
REVENGE MISSION: EDDIE HEARN SIGNS UFC CHAMP TOM ASPINALL AFTER LOSING CONOR BENN
Eddie Hearn strikes back: Read about Tom Aspinall signing with Matchroom, Conor Benn’s $15M Zuffa deal, and the Dana White rivalry.
Dana White, the boss at UFC and the man behind Zuffa Boxing, just snagged Conor Benn away from Eddie Hearn. Although if we’re being honest, Benn did a lot of the heavy lifting himself with that $15 million price tag.
White was quick to celebrate, maybe a little too loudly, especially on the UFC side, but Hearn didn’t let him have the spotlight for long. Not even a week later, Hearn fired back by announcing he’d signed UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to the Matchroom Talent Agency.
This back-and-forth between Hearn and White is turning into one of the more interesting rivalries in combat sports right now.
Zuffa Boxing’s move to grab Benn for a one-fight, $15 million deal definitely made waves. Benn, after all, spent ten years fighting under Hearn’s banner before jumping ship. Hearn hasn’t been shy about how much the move stings, especially since he’s been trading barbs with White nonstop.
But Hearn’s not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went public on Instagram, welcoming Aspinall to the Matchroom squad. “Welcome to the team, UFC Heavyweight Champ @tomaspinallofficial,” Hearn posted. “Time to get what’s yours @matchroomtalentagency.”
It’s just the latest shot in their ongoing feud. White’s been out there calling Hearn soft for getting emotional about Benn leaving. Hearn, never one to back down, fired back in an interview, saying White doesn’t care about his fighters at all.
“I hear people’s comments, like Dana White calling me names and Terence Crawford asking if I actually care about these guys,” Hearn said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but we’re not like Dana White and his crew. They don’t give a damn about the fighters.
“Have you ever seen Dana White show any emotion when someone wins? He just hands over the belt, does a press conference, then heads home to his mansion with a cigar and a glass of whisky, thinking, ‘Life is sweet; we just made $800 million this year.’”
So what do you think about Tom Aspinall teaming up with Hearn’s agency? Is this a good move for Aspinall, or is it going to cause problems down the line? Let’s hear your thoughts.
MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO 2: CAN THE LAS VEGAS SPHERE BREAK REVENUE RECORDS?
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 at the Sphere! Read about the $4,000+ ticket prices, the 17,600 capacity, and new streaming rumours.
When it comes to the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao rematch, the choice of venue, Las Vegas Sphere, changes the game. You just can’t rely on ticket sales the way you could back in 2015. There’s only so much space, and that puts a cap on one of the biggest money-makers from their first fight.
People are already throwing around some wild numbers about how much this rematch could pull in. They keep looking back at that first fight, which still holds the record for the highest-grossing boxing event ever.
Back then, they raked in about $72 million from just over 16,000 fans at the MGM Grand. The Sphere isn’t much bigger at best; you get 17,600 seats, and that’s if you squeeze in every last one. So, even if you max out the space, you’re only adding about 1,300 seats. That’s not a game-changer.
So, how do you make more money? It comes down to charging more for tickets. The 2015 fight already had an average ticket price north of $4,000. To top that, promoters need to crank up the prices for premium seats and VIP experiences.
Mayweather hasn’t fought since he stopped Conor McGregor in 2017. Pacquiao came back last year and fought Mario Barrios to a draw for the WBC welterweight title. Even now, both guys are still huge names. Their first fight had the whole world watching, and it paid off big time.
But this second act could look different. In 2015, the pay-per-view model pulled in a record 4.6 million buys in the U.S. This time, there’s talk about going with a streaming deal instead. If that happens, most of the money comes from broadcast rights and sponsorships, not just people splurging on tickets.
The Sphere itself will give the rematch a unique vibe. But with the limited number of seats, what really matters is how they price those tickets and how much they can bring in from media rights. The days of packing in way more fans for the gate are over, at least for this fight.
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