Gervonta Davis kept his undefeated record intact, overcoming a somewhat concerning start to stop Rolando Romero in the sixth round of their Showtime PPV main event.
Davis (27-0, 24 KO) did seem to feel the power of Romero (14-1, 12 KO) early, never seeming truly hurt but definitely realizing that it was real, and it was a weapon.
To his credit, the 26-year-old Romero — who is still a relative boxing novice, having only taken up the sport at age 17 — probably did better than many expected, other than the late surge of bettors who drove the lines from -1000 on Gervonta Davis down to -650 or so.
At times, Romero’s weird, raw style really did work as effectively awkward, and while he didn’t use his superior length in textbook fashion or display a piston-like jab, he did find some effectiveness simply being the bigger man.
But Davis, 27, landed a vicious counter left hand in round six, sending Romero falling into the ropes and then down to the canvas. He did get up, but referee David Fields didn’t like how he responded to instructions, and stopped the fight at 2:39 of the sixth round.
At the time of the stoppage, two judges had Davis ahead, 48-47 and 49-46, and the third had it 48-47 for Romero. Bad Left Hook had two cards of 48-47 for Davis.
Later, Showtime’s Jim Gray reported that Romero seemed to be in fine condition backstage, sitting quietly with family and declining an interview at that time.
Davis said that he and Romero settled their beef “like men inside the ring,” and said he’s ready for whatever comes next. He has previously indicated this would be his last fight with Mayweather Promotions, but we’ll see.
