Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis have spent the better part of the past half-decade throwing verbal jabs at one another. The genesis of their overarching feud stems from the two campaigning near or around the same weight class, jockeying for the division’s top spot.
Well before the Ukrainian would go on to before a unified champion at 135 pounds in 2020, he urged Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) to step up to the plate and face him in the ring. But, regardless of his persistent callouts, the pair danced around each other.
All in all, Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) claimed that team Davis would avoid him and many of the lightweight division’s elite. While he would love to swap fists with the Baltimore native, secretly from afar, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist became an admirer of Davis.
Differences aside, Lomachenko reveals that while they’re still rivals, he reveres Davis and his overall skills.
“He’s the real deal,” said Lomachenko to ESNEWS. “I like his style.”
With no signs of the two locking horns anytime soon, both Davis and Lomachenko have gone their separate ways. For the Ukrainian, he’s seemingly on the verge of closing up a deal that would see him square off against Devin Haney, the lightweight division’s undisputed champion.
Davis, on the other hand, is pushing for his own fan-captivating showdown against Ryan Garcia. Though not official, the two are hopeful that they’ll meet in the center of the ring on April 15th, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Currently, the betting world is under the belief that their bout could go in either direction. From Lomachenko’s point of view, he wholeheartedly agrees with that sentiment. Nevertheless, the former multi-divisional star, when pushed to give someone the edge, pointed squarely in the direction of Davis.
“I don’t know who wins this fight. For me, it’s 60% Davis, 40% for Ryan Garcia. But during the fight, it can change.”