Jake Paul vs. Gervonta “Tank” Davis is officially heading to Miami.
The highly anticipated November 14 fight was originally scheduled for Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. But Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), Paul’s company, withdrew its request to hold the bout in Georgia earlier this week.
The fight will stream live on Netflix.
Paul, a 200-pound cruiserweight, will meet Davis, the WBA lightweight champion at 135 pounds, in a rare matchup with a massive weight gap. Georgia’s athletic commission was expected to vote Thursday on whether to grant a rule waiver allowing the fight to proceed despite the 60-plus-pound difference.
“Gervonta has been disrespecting my name for too long. His nickname might be Tank, but I’m an FPV drone and I’m about to disable this tiny boy,” Paul wrote announcing the bout. “Yes, he’s one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds. And I like my odds. First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”
Commission chair Rick Thompson had already expressed skepticism, telling USA Today: “This is the dumbest s–t I’ve ever heard. It’s a money-grabber, and I’m not OK with that.’’
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), coming off a win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June, recently earned a No. 14 WBA cruiserweight ranking and is eyeing a future showdown with Anthony Joshua. Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), meanwhile, had his August rematch with Lamont Roach canceled after a July arrest for misdemeanor battery-domestic violence. The charge was later dropped.