Gervonta Davis posted a surprise “good luck” message to Naoya Inoue on Xu today, wishing the unified super bantamweight champion the best of luck in her title defense against Ye Joon Kim this Friday at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku in Tokyo, Japan.
(Credit: Naoka Fakuda)
‘Monster’ Inoue doesn’t need much luck to defeat his replacement opponent Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) isn’t in the same league in terms of talent, nor is he on the level of many of the top 15 contenders at 122.
Tank’s true intentions?
Fans are still wondering why Team Inoue chose Kim as a replacement after Naoya’s first opponent, Sam Goodman, suffered a cut and had to pull out of the fight two weeks ago. Indeed, a better fighter could have been chosen than Kim. It’s pretty sneaky from Gervonta trying to get into Inoue’s good graces so he can fight him.
Many people find Tanko’s cheering for Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) odd because he’s been wanting to fight him for years. Highly ranked pound-for-pound fighter Naoya, 31, has shown no interest in moving up to lightweight to challenge Gervonta for his WBA belt.
Tank should not waste time trying to woo with Inoue, hoping that if he’s good to him, he’ll move up to 130 or 135 for a mega-money fight. The Japanese star showed off his stripes. He doesn’t even want to move up to 126. If he’s not willing to move up to featherweight to take on killer sharks at that weight class, he’s definitely not going to move up any higher to take on a predator like Tanka Davis with no chance of winning.
Look at what the old Nonito Donaire did to Naoyi six years ago in their fight on November 7, 2019, breaking his right orbital bone, cutting him above the eye and breaking his nose. Inoue looked like he’d been in a train wreck. He was all messed up. Since then, Naoya has not risked his career.
Yo NAOYA INOUE good luck famo..
— Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) January 23, 2025
