Paulie Malignaggi got on his soapbox today to roast Gervonta Davis for “killing the sport” to make money by feasting on poor opposition on PPV. Malignaggi feels Gervonta and his business handlers are making dough hand over fist with intentionally non-competitive opposition to ensure he stays on top.
Paulie says Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) is talking about retirement now because he’s made his money by being overpaid without fighting one Hall of Fame-level fighter during his 12-year professional career.
Gervonta’s Best Wins
– Ryan Garcia – *drained with weight stipulations
– Frank Martin
– Jose Pedraza
– Isaac Cruz
– Rolly Romero
– Leo Santa Cruz
“Spineless” Tank?
“You’re killing the sport to line your pockets, and the people that run your business are killing the sport and lining your pockets,” said Paulie Malignaggi to Fighthype about Gervonta Davis. “You don’t need to manufacture a star. You don’t need to put Gervonta Davis with the guy that pumps my gas just because you need to keep manufacturing a star continuously.
“Gervonta Davis is a very good fighter. I criticize the matchups, not becaue I don’t like Gervonta Davis…Lamont Roach [is a good fighter], but that doesn’t mean you put him up in the next weight class [lightweight] against a bonafide PPV star, and you make him the opponent.
“When I hear Gervonta Davis say he’s going to retire, that’s because you made your money, but what did you accomplish? You don’t have a single Hall of Famer on your resume, and you’re talking about retiring because you accomplished it all. That’s crazy to me.
It’s apparent why Tank Davis is considering retirement. He sees that he’s being circled by fighters like Andy Cruz, Shakur Stevenson, Raymond Muratalla, Keyshawn Davis, and Edwin De Los Santos. As the WBA 135-lb belt-holder, Gervonta cannot avoid these fighters without fighting them or taking the coward’s way out by vacating or retiring.
“If I was in Gervonta Davis’ weight class and I had the exact opposition he had, I wouldn’t have as many knockouts, but I’d be undefeated. That’s the resume we’re talking about just turned into a PPV star. Could it be the knockouts? Maybe, but why can’t I see him in against someone with character and ability, or is he spineless?” said Malignaggi.
