Things have been up and down for fast-rising lightweight star Keyshawn Davis in recent months.
In October, it was revealed that the American had his decision win over Nahir Albright changed to a no-contest following a positive test for marijuana. That incident led to a 90-day suspension, and a fight against former champ Jose Pedraza was postponed.
However, promoter Top Rank supported their young star and rescheduled the Pedraza fight. Dutifully, Davis bounced back in style, smashing Pedraza in six rounds on February 8 in Las Vegas.
As a result, the Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo 2020 re-enters The Sporting News ratings at No. 6 while everyone below drops a single spot to make room for the change:
Lightweight rankings: The Sporting News’ top 12
| Rank | Fighter | Titles | Record | Movement (Feb. 8, 2024) |
| 1 | Gervonta Davis | WBA | 29-0 (27 KOs) | – |
| 2 | Vasiliy Lomachenko | 17-3 (11 KOs) | – | |
| 3 | Shakur Stevenson | WBC | 21-0 (10 KOs) | – |
| 4 | Isaac Cruz | 25-2-1 (17 KOs) | – | |
| 5 | William Zepeda | 29-0 (27 KOs) | – | |
| 6 | Keyshawn Davis | 10-0 (7 KOs) | NEW | |
| 7 | Maxi Hughes | 26-6-2 (5 KOs) | -1 | |
| 8 | George Kambosos Jr. | 21-2 (10 KOs) | -1 | |
| 9 | Raymond Muratalla | 19-0 (16 KOs) | -1 | |
| 10 | Frank Martin | 18-0 (12 KOs) | -1 | |
| 11 | Denys Berinchyk | 18-0 (9 KOs) | -1 | |
| 12 | Jamaine Ortiz | 17-2-1 (8 KOs) | -1 |
The best in the world at lightweight: Gervonta Davis
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a tank is a “fighting vehicle carrying guns and moving on a continuous articulated metal track.” It’s an apt ring moniker for Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who has state-of-the-art firepower and a single-minded approach to ring domination.
The Baltimore-born superstar has claimed a variety of title belts in three divisions, but he’s now regarded as the cream of the crop at lightweight. While his win over Ryan Garcia took place at a catchweight of 136 pounds, it was a signature victory for Tank, who is now firmly established as one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
If Davis can lock horns with the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney in the future, then his fearsome reputation could reach even greater heights.
The Sporting News’ Boxing Ratings
Rules | Men’s P4P | Women’s P4P
Heavyweight | Cruiserweight | Light Heavyweight | Super Middleweight | Super Lightweight | Lightweight | Super Featherweight | Featherweight | Light Flyweight | Minimumweight
