What's next for Gervonta Davis? Shakur Stevenson, Ryan Garcia and 3 other future options for 'Tank'

Gervonta Davis has added yet another scalp to his resume by spectacularly defeating fellow American boxer Frank Martin. 'Tank' successfully defended his WBA lightweight championship by beating Martin via eighth-round KO.

He handed 'The Ghost' his first professional boxing defeat and issued the boxing world a terrifying reminder of his vaunted knockout power.

It marked his first fight since a seventh-round KO victory against fellow boxing superstar Ryan Garcia in April 2023. The consensus is that 'Tank's' awe-inspiring return to the squared circle, his vicious knockout of Martin earlier tonight (June 15, 2024), has set the stage for an even more high-profile clash next.

Today, we look at the likeliest next fights for Gervonta Davis.

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#5 Ryan Garcia rematch

Since their first encounter last year, Ryan Garcia has consistently suggested that he wasn't at his best due to the rehydration clause heading into their first fight. He believes he'd easily dispatch Gervonta Davis in a possible rematch. Meanwhile, Davis recently claimed he was open to their rematch, albeit once again at a weight stipulated by him.

In the aftermath of the Davis-Martin fight, a cordial interaction ensued with Davis inside the ring and 'KingRy' standing on the apron. During their seemingly lighthearted conversation, Garcia showed off both sides of the t-shirt he was sporting. The text on the t-shirt's front read as 'Tank's #1 Fan,' whereas that on its back read as 'Rematch Me B**ch.'

Davis and Garcia were all smiles when they greeted one another and seemed to share a laugh over the t-shirt. Garcia is currently being investigated by the WBC and the NYSAC (New York State Athletic Commission) after testing positive for the PED ostarine following his April 2024 fight against Devin Haney. Additional updates concerning the same are likely to emerge by the end of this month.

As for Davis, during his post-fight press conference, he was asked about his conversation with his 'number-one fan' (i.e., Garcia). 'Tank' replied by indicating that 'KingRy' was lobbying for a rematch against him. Warning that he'll knock him out again, the WBA lightweight kingpin stated:

"Oh, Ryan? He's crazy. He's crazy, talking about a rematch. He said I was the best at 135 up to '42. He said that — he say he wanna fight me again. I'll kick his a** again."

Check out Gervonta Davis' comments below (8:50):

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#4 Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson — Battle of unbeaten young fighters

Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) and Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) have long been at odds. For years, many viewed Davis and Stevenson as world championship caliber fighters, and the masterful pugilists did live up to the expectations. Presently, the 29-year-old Davis holds the WBA lightweight title, whereas the 26-year-old Stevenson possesses the WBC lightweight title.

Incidentally, Frank Martin was expected to face Stevenson for the latter's WBC lightweight title. However, Martin eventually opted to fight Davis for the WBA lightweight title instead and came up short in his bid to dethrone 'Tank.' Considering the variables at play, a potential Davis-Stevenson grudge match could be an incredible fight.

With Davis dominantly defeating Martin, Stevenson took to X and insinuated that he'll shock the world by beating the 'Tank.' Nevertheless, Stevenson first has to defend his WBC lightweight title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6, 2024. Co-incidentally, Harutyunyan's coming off a unanimous decision defeat against Martin.

If Stevenson wins his upcoming fight and faces Davis, their clash would be a title unification matchup with the WBC and WBA lightweight belts at stake.

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#3 Gervonta Davis could face the undefeated Denys Berinchyk

Denys Berinchyk's most recent fight saw him defeat the durable and tenacious Emanuel Navarrete via a split decision to win the vacant WBO lightweight title in May 2024. If Gervonta Davis were to fight Berinchyk, it'd be another title unification opportunity for him, with his WBA belt and the unbeaten Ukrainian fighter's WBO belt there for the taking.

While Davis potentially fighting fellow young pugilists like Ryan Garcia (again) or Shakur Stevenson appear like barnburners on paper, the 36-year-old Berinchyk isn't a bad matchup either. Berinchyk could use his veteran savvy and give him a tough test.

During his in-ring interview after beating Navarrete, Berinchyk named Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, and Raymond Muratalla as probable next opponents. Regardless, Davis would most definitely be the most high-profile matchup that Berinchyk could get in boxing's current lightweight landscape.

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#2 Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz rematch

Out of Gervonta Davis' 30 opponents in the sport of professional boxing, only two have managed to go the distance with him thus far. The first is German Meraz, who went the six-round distance in a unanimous decision loss against 'Tank' way back in Oct. 2014. The second is Isaac Cruz, who went the 12-round distance in a unanimous decision defeat against Davis in a WBA (Regular) lightweight (135-pound) title fight in Dec. 2021.

Both Davis and Cruz have picked up four wins respectively after their 2021 showdown. Cruz's latest fight saw him defeat Rolando Romero via eighth-round TKO to win the WBA super lightweight (140-pound) title in March 2024.

Davis is known to be very particular about weight stipulations, and it remains to be seen whether or not he chooses to move up to super lightweight again and perhaps fight Cruz for the WBA super lightweight belt.

Irrespective of whether he moves up or Isaac Cruz returns down to lightweight for a rematch, the fact remains that a second showdown between them would surely pique fan interest. That's primarily because many feel that though 'Pitbull' lost to Gervonta Davis on the judges' scorecards, he's been the only boxer to have troubled a prime Davis.

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#1 'Tank' could take on Vasiliy Lomachenko

Vasiliy Lomachenko is beheld by many as one of the most skilled boxers of all time. The Ukrainian boxing great captured Olympic gold medals twice, once at featherweight in 2008 and at lightweight in 2012. Additionally, in the professional boxing realm, he's captured world championships in three separate weight classes.

In his most recent fight, which transpired in May 2024, 'Loma' bested George Kambosos Jr. via 11th-round TKO to capture the vacant IBF lightweight title.

The 36-year-old has often implied that Gervonta Davis has been evading him. Back in 2021, when Davis was a part of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 'Mayweather Promotions' stable, he alleged that Davis (under Mayweather's tutelage) was avoiding a fight against him because he had "real skill."

Davis parted ways with 'Mayweather Promotions' in 2022 but retained PBC head honcho Al Haymon as his advisor. 'Tank' is focused on promoting himself rather than being a fixture in any specific stable. On that note, many feel that the long-awaited fight against Lomachenko coming to fruition would further elevate Davis' brand value and legacy en route to becoming an all-time great.

Around the 10:20-minute mark of his post-fight press conference following the Martin matchup, Gervonta Davis predicted an "a** whooping" for Lomachenko if they clash inside the ring. Intriguingly, heading into the Davis-Martin event, reports signaled that a Davis victory could set up a fight between him and 'Loma.' The possible Davis-Lomachenko clash would be a title unifier, with the WBA and IBF lightweight belts on the line.