Fright Night! Gervonta Davis Scores Showtime Halloween Knockout of Leo Santa Cruz
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
San Antonio, Texas (November 1st, 2020)– It was a frightful ending of the Showtime Pay-Per-View night for World Boxing Association Super World Super Featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night, October 31, 2020. World Boxing Association World Lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, 24-0 with 23 knockouts, Baltimore, Maryland, weighed in below the 130 pound super featherweight limit, as did Santa Cruz, so both world title belts were at stake at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Sugar Ray Leonard and Donnie LaLonde fought for combined super middleweight and light heavyweight world titles in 1988. Saul Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather fought for combined welterweight and junior middleweight world titles in 2014. The double world titles at stake is a professional boxing rarity, but it can occur under the correct circumstances of a super fight. Davis versus Santa Cruz qualified, and Santa Cruz aggressively wanted the Davis fight. He got it…………while it lasted, which was not long.
Santa Cruz, 37-2-1 with 18 knockouts, Rosemead, California by way of Mexico, was in over his head, and was undoubtedly seeing ghosts and goblins as he decided to engage Davis in a toe-too-toe slugfest. Davis was only up one point on the cards when a picture perfect Davis counter left uppercut under the Santa Cruz jab sent Davis knocked out to the canvas in a corner at 2:40 of the sixth round. It was a good scrap while it lasted, given Davis hits too hard for Santa Cruz to maintain such a consistent sustained attack without getting caught. Simply put, Davis has too much power.
As a consequence, Davis may have outperformed himself out of the 130 and 135 pound divisions. With no real opponents in his league, Davis may be forced to move up to junior welterweight and welterweight as a modern day version of Roberto Duran. Davis is hitting like a lower weight Aaron Pryor, and he most certainly can handle the 140 pound division better than Pryor did in his day. Alexis Arguello did not beat Pryor, and Santa Cruz did not beat Davis.
A technical warrior like Santa Cruz cannot outgun a big banger, and Davis proved it. Davis versus Terence Crawford would be a great mega fight. Davis, however, will have to work hard and gian more hard experience at 135 pounds before he can consider transitioning up to 140 pounds. Santa Cruz, who fell like Bobby Chacon did trying to move up in weight against Ray Mancini from super featherweight to lightweight some years ago, would be wise to return to the super featherweight and featherweight divisions where he technical skill and prowess serves him best. Guillermo Rigondeaux went back down to the bantamweight after losing to Vasyl Lomachenko at super featherweight. Not all fighters can transition upwards. Everybody fighter is not a Sugar Ray Robinson. Many fighters are durable, but not durable enough to move through weight classes like a Roy Jones Jr.
Result: Gervonta Davis KO 6 Leon Santa Cruz, Super Featherweights / Lightweights
Davis retains World Boxing Association World Lightweight title
Davis regains World Boxing Associaiton Super World Super Featherweight title
Time: 2:40 of the sixth round, Leo Santa Cruz down and out from a Davis left uppercut
Referee: Rafael Ramos
Usyk Defeats Chisora
London, UK (November 1st, 2020)– In other halloween results, at Wembley Arena in England, it was ‘Good Night, Mr. Bond’ for gatekeeper and top 10 heavyweight contender Dereck Chisora in the United Kingdom, as former world cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, 18-0 with 13 knockouts, Kiev, Ukraine, won an easy 12 round unanimous decision in a heavyweight contest. Chisora wont he first three rounds by outworking Usyk, who then picked up the pace and outworked Chisora for the next nine rounds. Chisora remained in defensive posture for the second half of the bout, attempting some counters but not taking any chances against a clearly superior technical fighter. Usyk appeared to be the more motivated of the two. Chisora had no answer for the better fighter, and blew his remaining opportunity to get a chance at a share of the world title. Anthony Joshua was in the audience. The original James Bond 007, Sir Sean Connery of Great Britain, died earlier in the day at age 90 in Nassau, Bahamas. It was both good night Mr. Bond for both Connery and Chisora, 32-10 with 23 knockouts, London, England. The scorecards appeared closer than the actual fight.
Oleksandr Usyk Win 12 Dereck Chisora, Heavyweights
Chisora wins vacant World Boxing Organization Inter-Continental Heavyweight title
Scoring: 115-113, 115-113, 117-112 for Usyk. Referee: Phil Edwards
Other Results
Murat Gassiev TKO 1 Nuri Seferi, heavyweights (1:47)
27-1 former IBF World Cruiser champ Gassiev returns to ring after 27 months inactivity
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