Gervonta Davis- Leo Santa Cruz in October on Showtime?

The belief has been that once boxing began to resume some normalcy post Covid-19 shut down, that big-time fights would not be far behind. And apparently, a highly sought-after World Lightweight Title showdown involving PBC fighters, will happen in October.

On Wednesday afternoon, Premier Boxing Champions along with Showtime premium cable and Fox are expected to announce numerous World Championship fights in the coming months. However, Mike Coppinger, insider for the Athletic, already reported Tuesday night that one of the biggest announcements will be the Gervonta Davis – Leo Santa Cruz matchup:

Breaking: Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz will meet Oct. 24 on Showtime Pay-Per-View, sources tell @TheAthleticBOX. The event, along with seven other Showtime cards, will be announced tomorrow. All eight shows at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) July 22, 2020

Although Coppinger did not specify it in his initial report, Showtime will resume televising fight in August at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut without fans present. But, there has to be a belief on the part of PBC, the casino and the state of Connecticut that at least some socially distanced fans could attend three months from now.

When last saw “Tank” Davis in December, he outlasted veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa via a 12th round TKO to gain the WBA 135 lb. title pushing his unbeaten record to 23-0 with 22 KOs. That was Davis’s debut at lightweight where he is also seeking a potential mega-fight with unified champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Davis would come into this fight with the controversy of having been arrested Super Bowl weekend in Miami for a public domestic violence incident at a charity basketball game. The charges are not yet resolved.

However, for now, it’s an attractive fight with Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs), who won his most recent bout in November by unanimous decision over Miguel Flores to capture the WBA Jr. Lightweight title.

Santa Cruz has previously said that he would be willing to fight Davis at either Junior Lightweight or the Lightweight 135 lb. limit. However, that he would prefer the fight at 130-pound. Santa Cruz has previously been Jr. Featherweight, Featherweight and most recently, Jr. Lightweight champ.

Obviously, the lesser weight will be a concern for Davis, as he had trouble making the 135 lb. limit on his second try back in December. And, it was the third different time in his career that he had to shed weight the afternoon before his fight.

It is expected that PBC will also confirm Wednesday the Jermell Charlo – Jeison Rosario Unification Junior Middleweight title fight that will likely be televised over the air on Fox Sports.

Showtime will have to fight cards coming in August at the Mohegan Sun for their resumption of televising boxing