Gervonta “Tank” Davis Vs. Rolly Romero: Odds, Records, Prediction

Rolly Romero might be an elite trash talker and a championship-level barb-thrower. But we don’t yet know if his boxing is as high-level as the words he’s used to hype Saturday night’s fight vs. Gervonta “Tank” Davis. We do know about Davis, though, and that should worry Romero (even if he appears to be ignoring Davis’ skill level while he talks). Here’s everything you need to know about Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Rolly Romero, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

This fight was originally scheduled for 2021, but sexual assault accusations against Romero postponed those plans (Romero was never charged). Instead, Davis beat a surprisingly game Isaac Cruz in December to set up this chance for him to defend his 135-pound belt against Romero.

“We’ll see what this guy brings on fight night, under the bright lights,” Davis said. “I had to walk through the door when it was time and become the man. Come fight night, it’s time to step up to that plate … He’s just worrying about power, he’s not working on anything else. Their only plan is to knock me out. I hit him with one of these and I’m going to knock his whole nose off. They just keep talking about knockouts and trying to get me out of there early, because they know he can’t last down the line.”

Romero certainly has power (and an 86% knockout percentage to go with it). But he lacks big-fight experience. That doesn’t seem to be an issue for him, though.

“I think Tank is an amazing fighter, but this is going to be the easiest fight of my career,” Romero said. “It’s going to say a lot about my legacy when I knock him out. Tank gets punched a lot. I think he’s going to run right into something big.

“I’m already a star. Otherwise I wouldn’t be in this position right now. I’m one of the few fighters to get to headline a PPV 14 fights into my career.”

There’s little doubt that Davis, not Romero, is the reason this fight will headline a Showtime PPV extravaganza. Though he has yet to crack my pound-for-pound list, Davis is making consistent seven-figure paydays (he was paid $1 million to fight Cruz), and he’s done decent business on PPV buys (he’s usually somewhere in the 200,000 range). But he’s also coming off a fight where the gate receipts totaled an impressive $3.7 million, and even if his PPV buy rates aren’t extravagant, he’s packing fans into arenas.

“Tank’s youth, his skillset, his box office appeal makes him one of the most popular fighters and one of the biggest draws in the sport,” said Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza. “Every time Tank steps in the ring, it’s must-see TV.”

Here’s more info on the Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Rolly Romero showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on Showtime PPV for $74.99 beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Rolly Romero odds

Davis is a big betting favorite, but the price has come down on him. As of this writing, Davis was a -1000 favorite, meaning you’d have to bet $1,000 to win $100. But considering Davis was -1600 when this fight was first announced, you’re getting a little more value on him if you take his money line. Meanwhile, Romero is +600, which means you’d win $600 on a $100 bet. At this point, Davis is way too wide to bet, and Romero’s price isn’t wide enough (I looked at a few other online sports books to see if you could get Romero at +700 or +800, and the answer to that is no).

You can get Davis by KO/TKO at -400, but I don’t love that. Instead, you’d probably have to narrow it down and take Davis by stoppage in rounds 7-12 at +210. But if you like Romero, you can get him to win by KO/TKO at +1100. Aside from that, it’s tough to find any value in this fight unless you think Romero is going to score the upset by stoppage.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Rolly Romero records

Davis has an impeccable record of 26-0 with 24 KOs, but we’re still waiting for his signature fight. Right now, his best wins have come against Jose Pedraza and Leo Santa Cruz (who was was moving up in weight), and though his last two victories against Mario Barrios and Isaac Cruz are solid, Davis still hasn’t faced a fighter who could make it a 50-50 fight.

Though he’s only 14-0 (with 12 KOs), Romero is coming off his best victory, a seventh-round stoppage of Anthony Yigit (who has a win over Sandor Martin, the conqueror of Mikey Garcia). The quality of his opposition has gotten better recently (the combined record of his last four opponents was 58-3-1 when Romero fought them), but still, he’s the most inexperienced opponent Davis has faced in a while.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Rolly Romero prediction

I’d be surprised if this goes the distance. Romero has power, and Davis hasn’t really had his chin tested by an elite opponent yet. But then again, neither has Romero. And I’m guessing Davis hits harder and cleaner than Romero. This should be a fan-friendly fight, and I think Davis will mostly dominate it. Then, he’ll end it early. Say, Davis by stoppage in the seventh round.