Gervonta on League: "Looks Like I Can Shit on Everyone"

WBA lightweight champion (up to 61.2 kg) Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) commented on the news that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is in negotiations with leading global promotional companies to create a boxing league.

"This will never happen because everyone doesn’t agree with each other. Everyone isn’t on the same page. It would happen if promoters were on the same side," Tank said ahead of his fight with Frank Martin.

After his triumphant return to the ring, Gervonta was asked again about the ambitious new project by Turki Alalshikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia: "Turki feels like he has power because he has money. It looks like 'I can shit on everyone.' Listen, I don’t know. Is it good for the sport? I don’t know. Does he want to bring everyone together? That’s wonderful. But I don’t know much about it."

According to the Saudi proposal, contracts will be signed with around 200 of the world’s top boxers, divided into 12 weight categories, forming a global boxing league. Each category will include about 15 fighters, allowing the best talents to regularly face each other. The new league will require boxers to participate in a minimum number of events per year to avoid long gaps between fights of top fighters.

The league will operate under a single brand and system, similar to the business model of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), with a top-15 ranking in each weight class and an official "Pound for Pound" ranking. Fighters will move up in the rankings but can also be excluded from the league and replaced by new talents.

The project has been under discussion for more than a year. If the investment decision is confirmed in the coming weeks, the boxing league could start in the first half of 2025.