Carl Froch has delivered his verdict on the upcoming exhibition bout between Gervonta Davis and Jake Paul after it was officially announced last week.
Confirmation of the fight immediately got tongues wagging, with Davis passing up the opportunity to defend his WBA lightweight title in a rematch against Lamont Roach Jr to pursue a clash with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
One particular concern is the weight differential between the two men. Davis currently operates at 135lb, while Paul’s last fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June was at the cruiserweight limit of 200lb.
Froch has been a fierce critic of Paul in recent years, but has surprisingly predicted that there is a chance he could use his significant size advantage to stun Davis when they meet in the ring on 14 November.
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Speaking on his own YouTube channel, the ex-super middleweight world champion said: “It’s seven weight divisions, it would not be allowed. This is why it’s an exhibition. It would not be licensed in anyone’s real world of boxing. No one would sanction it because it’s dangerous.
“Is there a chance that Jake Paul could clip Gervonta Davis, hurt him and knock him out? Probably not, but if he did land a big right hand swing, shoot from the hip and connect on Davis’s chin, there’s a chance that Davis could be seriously injured by somebody that’s five stone heavier. He won’t be used to being hit like that.”
Paul has won 12 of his 13 professional fights, with seven of those coming via stoppage. However, he has been taken the distance in his last two contests.
Meanwhile, Davis is unbeaten in his 31 professional bouts and has developed a reputation as a knockout specialist thanks to stopping 28 of his opponents.
However, Froch believes Paul’s superior size is likely to prevent Davis from adding another knockout to his record.
Breaking down how the fight could play out, Froch added: “Gervonta Davis will be able to control the pace, control the ring, control the movement and probably not have enough power to get Jake Paul out of there. But Jake Paul will be big enough and strong enough to survive.
“I don’t even know if it will look competitive but he’ll be in there.”
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