Jake Paul: I thought Gervonta Davis was dead, call me a clown but he gave a clown performance

Showtime’s next pay-per-view title is unimpressive with the performance of its predecessor.

The back and forth through interviews and social media between Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and Jake Paul continued through the most recent Showtime-branded event. Baltimore’s Davis headed a PPV card Sunday night, beating Mexico’s Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (22-2-1, 15KOs) in twelve rounds at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Referees Carla Caiz (115-113), Max De Luca (115-113) and Zachary Young (116-112) all scored in favor of Davis, in line with the way most observers would have seen the light game play. out.

On the other side were those who had Cruz – the late replacement for Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero – win the fight or at least deserve a draw.

“I think (Davis) lost,” Paul insisted when asked during a virtual press conference to discuss his recently announced December 18 PPV rematch with late substitute Tyron Woodley. for Tommy Fury to be injured. “. He didn’t throw… he hurt his (left) hand or anything. He didn’t throw a single ball and some of the judges gave those rounds to him. It doesn’t make any sense.

“He called me a clown but he gave a clown performance.”

Davis (26-0, 24KOs) stopped throwing his left hand with malicious intent midway through the 10th round. Strong Nampaw spent the last two rounds fighting almost exclusively with his right hand. That was enough to win the eleventh round on a scorecard and the twelfth and final round on judges Young and DeLuca’s cards. Davis was far enough ahead on Judge Caiz’s scoreboard that losing even the final four innings didn’t affect his still undefeated record.

For those who felt Cruz’s late surge was enough to win the skirmish, the decision to go the other way was not surprising. The theory among the likes of Paul is that Davis is endowed as a rising star in the sport, with referees aware of his status while fighting under the banners of Mayweather Promotion and Premier Boxing. Champions (PBC).

“I thought he lost. I think a lot of people would say the same and I agree,” emphasized Paul. “I think they’ll give him a draw because he’s signed with Mayweather Promotions, Al Haymon and we know how dirty boxing is, how the referees are paid. Of course, nearby spins will be thrown to Gervonta Davis. “

Davis-Cruz is one of six PPV events Showtime will cover later this year. The two were previously mentioned by Davis and Paul, with the latter’s rematch against Woodley being broadcast live from AMALIE Arena in Tampa. It comes less than four months after their August 29 PPV event, in which Paul announced his decision to split eight rounds at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in his childhood hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox