-
Mike CoppingerESPN
Gervonta Davis has vacated his 130-pound title, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told ESPN on Saturday.
The star boxer will be granted permission to retain his 135- and 140-pound titles ahead of his next fight, which is expected before the end of the year. He will have 48 hours after that fight to relinquish another title, leaving him with one.
The move comes as part of a WBA crackdown on multiple titles in each of the 17 weight classes in boxing.
Earlier this month, the WBA ordered a fight between secondary junior lightweight champion Roger Gutierrez and interim champion Chris Colbert. They will meet for the vacant “super” championship and recognition as the WBA’s sole titleholder at 130 pounds.
Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) won the WBA’s 130-pound championship in 2018 with a third-round TKO of Jesus Cuellar. The Baltimore native defended the title twice with stoppage wins over Hugo Ruiz and Ricardo Nunez in 2019. Neither fighter heard the bell to start Round 3.
Davis, who is 24, scored a 12th-round TKO of Yuriorkis Gamboa in December 2019 to win the WBA’s secondary title at 135 pounds before returning to 130 for a sixth-round knockout of Leo Santa Cruz in October.
“Tank” moved up to 140 pounds for a June fight with Mario Barrios, and his 11th-round TKO earned him the WBA’s “regular” junior welterweight title.
Davis has no fight scheduled at this time. He is ranked in the top 10 of all three weight classes by ESPN (No. 5 at 130, No. 3 at 135, No. 5 at 140).