Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul Real or Fake?

Recently, a shocking announcement was made, and apparently, the content is legitimate, as the WBA lightweight world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis is scheduled to face Jake “The Problem Child” Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in a highly anticipated exhibition bout.

This matchup is very unique due to the fact that Gervonta Davis is a lightweight and Jake Paul is a cruiserweight. Despite the disparity in weight, the bout is set to take place on Friday night, November 14th at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, airing live on Netflix.

Since the announcement was made, the Davis vs Paul bout has received an extreme amount of criticism. Members of the media and the boxing community labeled this bout as a circus and a freak show.

Some fight fans like the Davis vs Paul matchup, but many other fans don’t approve of the bout because they believe Gervonta Davis has some unfinished championship business he needs to address. Back in March 2025, Gervonta Davis came close to losing his title and his undefeated record.

In the ninth round of a highly competitive world title fight, Gervonta Davis got hit by a jab, and then he proceeded to step back and take a knee. After taking a voluntary knee, Davis proceeded to get up and casually walk to his corner to get his face wiped.

The voluntary knee should have been counted as a knockdown, but the referee didn’t enforce the rule as he gave Davis a verbal warning. At the conclusion of the 12-round contest, the bout was scored as a draw.

During his post-fight interview, Davis said he took a knee because hair grease went into his eyes and, as a result, his eyes were burning. If the referee had made the proper call on the voluntary kneeling incident, then the last three rounds of the bout would have been very interesting.

Because of the controversy and the competitiveness of the first fight, fans were expecting to see a Tank vs Roach 2. However, Gervonta Davis has decided to put the rematch on hold as he is set to capitalize on a lucrative opportunity.

Jake Paul has been praised for his efforts as a promoter, but ridiculed for his antics as a boxer. During the course of his five-year pro boxing career, Jake Paul has beaten YouTubers, a former NBA player, and multiple over-the-hill MMA fighters.

Paul has made the transition to fighting boxers, but the boxers he’s fought have been hand-picked. Back in November 2024, Jake Paul defeated a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, and seven months later, he beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, a man who was recently released from drug rehab.

Jake Paul has been boxing professionally for the past five years, but some of the boxing community refuse to take him seriously due to the matchmaking. Another reason why Paul receives a lack of credibility as a boxer is due to rumors about contract clauses.

For his bout against Mike Tyson, a rumor was circulating that Tyson wasn’t allowed to throw an uppercut. During his bout against Jake Paul, Tyson did not throw a single uppercut.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) is arguably the most talented boxer of his generation. Considering the fact that Davis chose to fight Jake Paul instead of the long list of high-caliber opponents that are available, it could be a sign that we’re rapidly approaching the end of the Tank Davis era.

Because of the measurables, this upcoming exhibition will be an odd-looking matchup. The 28-year-old Jake Paul is 6’1″ 200 lbs and the 30-year-old WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis is 5’5″ 135 lbs. Due to the physical discrepancies, fans are starting to wonder if this boxing match is real or fake.

If this is a standard boxing match, then we will see Gervonta Davis using movement, fighting off the back foot, setting traps, and walking Paul into the fatal knockout blow. While Paul holds all the physical advantages, Davis holds a big edge in experience, and that’s the reason why Gervonta Davis will knock out Jake Paul.

If this bout is fake or orchestrated, then fans will witness a glorified sparring session. If that is the case, fans may be upset, but if Paul and Davis decide to go this route, the move is justified due to the disclaimer.

The Gervonta Davis vs Jake Paul matchup is intriguing because both men are polarizing figures. If it’s a real bout in which both men are going to give a 100 percent effort, then November 14th could turn out to be a very interesting night of boxing.