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Add FightsATW on GoogleThe event billed as “Jake vs. Tank,” an exhibition fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis scheduled for November 14 on Netflix, has been officially canceled, according to a press release by Paul’s promotional company MVP (Most Valuable Promotions).
This cancellation follows last week’s news of a civil suit filed against Davis for Domestic Violence in South Florida. About a day or so after that news spread, SI’s Chris Mannix reported that Netflix and MVP were considering other options while conducting their own investigation into the Davis situation. Over the weekend, names like Nate Diaz and Ryan Garcia began to surface as potential replacements, making it seem almost certain that the November 14 event would be called off.
Per the press release sent out by MVP, co-owner Nakisa Bidarian, stated the following:
“Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” said Bidarian.“While we will not be moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025. Details regarding a new date, location, Jake’s opponent, and additional bouts will be shared as soon as they are finalized. We thank Netflix, the Kaseya Center, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for their partnership.”
Shortly after, Paul himself hopped on X and added to the announcement of the cancellation.
“Gervonta Davis is an actual walking human piece of garbage. Working with him is an absolute nightmare. The unprofessionalism, the bizarre requests, the showing up hours late to shoots. To the numerous arrests and related accusations and lawsuits. If you support this man you support the most vile sin a man can commit. I didn’t want to give this woman abuser a platform to grow his fans and to grow his bank account. My company champions women. I’m so sorry to everyone involved. Mostly to the undercard fighters, to my team at MVP and to my team who worked so hard prepping for this fight. Sacrificing time with loved ones and kids just for this fool to lose his unintelligent mind again. It’s scary that devilish men like this can rise to the top of culture and sports, including in positions of power. I hope you people moving forward look beyond his fake streetwear pieces “SWAG” and search for something deeper to be a fan of. As for me it’s on to the next one as always. Anyone. Anytime. Any place. – Jake”
Now that the fight is off, where does that leave Paul? Can he still get a fight in before the ball drops in Times Square on December 31?
Three Names To Look Out For As Potential Opponents
The first name that would make this event truly intriguing is Edgar Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs). Although he is coming off an embarrassing TKO loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in July, Berlanga has the character and pop culture appeal to make the fight against Paul one of the biggest of the year. Zachary Ochoa and I discussed this at length on Monday afternoon during the Boxing Rush Hour Show: Live Edition, and we both agreed and pushed for Berlanga to be the one Paul fights next.
If Netflix is going to be involved in this December event, Berlanga is the perfect choice. Paul lives in Puerto Rico, and Berlanga has been desperately trying to rally the Puerto Rican fan base to support him. Berlanga has access to several social media, HipHop, and Latin artists and influencers, which helps boost his side of the marketing for the fight. Last but not least, they are roughly the same size. Berlanga has been rumored to be just over 200 pounds when he isn’t in camp. The personalities would mesh well to build hype, and if you do it in Brooklyn, they would likely sell out the Barclays Center.
Andre Ward
It’s been 8½ years since Andre Ward‘s last professional fight. Since then, he has released a documentary on Showtime, a book, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Every now and then, Ward would post a clip of himself sparring or just being in the gym, teasing fans that a comeback might be on the horizon. After each tease, no fight materialized, which was a clever way to keep fans engaged and interested in what he had coming up.
Earlier this year, Ward posted on social media that if he were to return, it would be for a fight against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London, U.K. While that fight sounds intriguing on paper, the chances of it actually happening right now are slim, leaving Ward with either staying retired or looking for the next big thing. That next big thing could be this fight against Paul. I have to believe Netflix would be interested in that fight, but whether the terms of such an event could be good enough to bring Ward back into the ring is uncertain. Only Ward himself would know the answer to that. Would fans want to see that fight? Absolutely, but only if it’s a legit fight and not an exhibition with a bunch of stipulations attached.
Nate Diaz
Although their August 2023 fight reportedly drew 450,000 PPV buys, a rematch between Paul and Nate Diaz isn’t at the top of the list of rematches we need to see. The fight itself was decent, but Diaz looked like someone who didn’t belong in a boxing ring. Even though it was entertaining the first time, it probably won’t be the same the second time. The idea of a Diaz rematch needs to be buried deep in the pile of possible opponents. Also, would Netflix be willing to pay top dollar to Diaz for the rematch? Probably not, which makes this option the least appealing of the three.
So the question remains, will Paul fight again before the end of the year? I think so, but whoever they pick has to be finalized this week if they want to host an event in December.
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