While the news of the Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) vs Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) showdown has piqued the interest of fans, it hasn’t been without its host of controversies. With the massive weight difference between the duo leaving the fight in jeopardy, it looks like there has been a change of plans for fight night.
Paul and MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian revealed via a press release that there have been major changes to the venue of the fight.
“New city, same mission, seek and destroy the tank. Kaseya Center. Friday, November 14. I’m bringing the heat, and Miami will see me take down this angry elf while the world watches live on Netflix,” he said.
This change in location from Georgia to Florida comes barely a day before the Georgia Athletic Entertainment Commission (GAEC) was scheduled to meet and vote on MVP’s request for a rule waiver to address restrictions. Notably, GEAC’s chairman, Rick Thompson, mentioned that the organization had opposed the fight because of the weight discrepancy between the two boxers. However, it was revealed that MVP had withdrawn the request and other associated ones related to gaining approval to hold the fight in Georgia.
Meanwhile, Bidarian addressed the same during the statement, mentioning that Thompson’s interviews about the weight difference were the main reason why they chose to relocate the fight. In fact, he even feels that Thompson has a “personal agenda, publicly misrepresenting the facts and undermining what was set to be a massive event for Atlanta.”
Davis, on the other hand, is excited about the matchup, regardless of where it takes place.
“Jake Paul has been cherry picking in the sport of boxing for a while now, but he picked the wrong opponent this time. He better start losing some weight, chasing some chickens, and pray that helps him some on fight night! Thank you to Netflix for giving me the opportunity to whoop this clown!” he said.
UFC boss Dana White hates this fight, and he is not staying subtle about it. Talking to Paul’s brother, Logan, on his Impaulsive podcast, he expressed his disappointment in the Paul brothers choosing fighters who are drastically different in weight.
“You know what is funny about your brother? He’s going to fight f*cking Gervonta Davis. You guys need to fight guys your f*cking same size. When you fought Floyd, you are massive, you’re a massive f*cking dude,” he said highlighting the weight discrepancy that the Paul brothers have gained notoriety for. “Floyd’s tiny, and I’m sure when you were training, you’re like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna hit this guy with a couple punches and grab him, tie him up’. And he did hit you with a bomb of an overhand right one time, and you f*cking ate it. You ate that punch. Gervonta, I think, hits way harder than f*cking Floyd, but he’s too small. I mean, your brother’s going to be able to get inside on him, put his weight on him, tie him up.”
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