Gervonta Davis was crowned WBA lightweight champion this week after the World Boxing Association removed Devin Haney.
As Haney requested, the ‘Super’ version of the WBA lightweight crown was vacated. As the WBA had two champions, Haney and ‘Regular’ ruler Davis, “Tank” automatically became the sole titleholder.
However, when the outcome was revealed as likely to happen when Haney vacated before facing Regis Prograis, Davis made it clear in his unique way that he didn’t want the strap.
Gervonta Davis is a two-weight world champion
Davis was officially declared champion on December 31. The WBA is since expected to rule on who the mandatory challenger will be in the coming weeks.
Former opponent Isaac Cruz is the current occupier of the number one spot and won an eliminator in July 2023.
At the time, the WBA outlined the situation as Cruz defeated Giovanni Cabrera at the T-Mobile Arena.
Isaac “Pit” ull” Cr” z defeated Giovanni Cabrera in their World Boxing Association [WBA] lightweight eliminator fight this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Mexican won by split decision on scorecards [115-112, 114-113, and 113-114] to move closer to a world title shot.
Cruz was aggressive as usual against an opponent who outweighed him in size. His insistent style helped him break guard and distance to land the best punches in the fight and counter his opponent’s jab.
It was a good victory for the Mexico City native, who is on the verge of another title fight and wants to conquer the championship.
His record stands at 25 wins, two losses, one draw, and 17 knockouts. Meanwhile, Cabrera lost his undefeated record. He now has 21 wins, one loss, and seven knockouts.
Davis vs Cruz II mandatory
Due to this occurrence, Davis vs Cruz II is on the horizon. The first time they met, Davis won via a unanimous decision.
However, that rematch will only happen if Davis decides to keep the WBA title.
The Al Haymon star, who recently converted to Islam under the new name Abdul Wahid, has become a two-weight world champion no matter what he decides.
Despite winning WBA straps in three divisions, two were unrecognized ‘regular’ belts, including the recently elevated lightweight version and the super-lightweight title he took from Mario Barrios and then vacated.
Gervonta is now a bonafide WBA super-featherweight champion and rules the world at 135 pounds. How long that will remain is up to the newly-named Wahid.
