Gervonta Davis Declares “Boxing Is Dead” While Justifying His Lucrative Exhibition Against Jake Paul on Netflix

Gervonta Davis posted on X today, essentially giving his rationale for taking the commercialized exhibition match against cruiserweight Jake Paul, saying that the sport isn’t “loyal” and it’s “dead.” 

Gervonta: I Move Accordingly

Davis believes that he has no choice but to enrich himself by moving “accordingly’ with his career. Instead of Tank (30-0-1, 28 KOs) defending his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach in a rematch, he’s chosen to pursue a lucrative exhibition match against the wealthy YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on November 14, 2025, on Netflix.

Boxing definitely did a turn..it went from this side to that side 😎..and this shit has no loyalty so why would I care, I move accordingly 😎👌BOXING IS DEAD

— Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) September 26, 2025

Trading Belt for Bigger Payday

The exhibition match against Jake Paul has received considerable criticism from traditional fans, who view it as a circus due to the huge weight disparity. Jake is a cruiserweight, fighting Tank at a catchweight of 195 lbs. Davis usually fights at 135.

• “I move accordingly”: What this likely means is Gervonta is going to focus on making business-oriented moves with his career instead of staying within the confined boundaries of the ranking system in making title defenses or abiding by the sanctioning bodies’ ordered mandatory fights against contenders. It ties in with his reason for fighting Jake Paul in what will likely be a hugely watched exhibition match.
• “Boxing definitely did a turn, and this s*** has no loyalty”: Davis’s comment suggests that he believes that promoters and fighters aren’t loyal anymore. Fighters are only valuable to many promoters while they’re winning. When they begin having tough times, suffering losses, they’re thrown away like refuse.
• “BOXING IS DEAD”: Tank’s post reflects the idea that boxing has become more of a spectacle, where world titles are secondary and fighters are ranked based on popularity rather than merit. The sport is no longer about true competition. That’s now secondary to spectacles that generate massive revenue for the fighters and promoters.