Gervonta Davis missed weight initially Friday prior to title fight

Saturday night is supposed to be a showcase night for former World Jr. Lightweight champ, Gervonta Davis, however, before he could take the big stage, there has already been a controversy with his weight.

Davis, who has had previous problems in his professional career making weight, stepped on the scale in Atlanta on Friday afternoon prior to his scheduled battle with Yuriorkis Gamboa for the vacant WBA 135 lb. belt.

And, it read 136.2 lb. or 1.2 over the limit.

Davis seemed to know that he was going to be at least some amount over the limit as he hurried off the scale and quickly off the stage while ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr., announced that he had missed the target number and would have one hour to lose the 1.2 lb.

.@Gervontaa has one hour to cut down to the 135lb limit #DavisGamboa pic.twitter.com/D0hbzrIuJh

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) December 27, 2019

Davis, then returned to the middle of the stage a short time later for the fighters to do the obligatory “stare down” for the cameras and fans. However, he chose to push Gamboa at the end of it, inciting multiple people on both sides pushing and shoving.

And, several punches were thrown by the entourages, but not the fighters.

.@Gervontaa vs. @gamboa ??#DavisGamboa pic.twitter.com/1umCb7ffE9

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) December 27, 2019

Davis, who is 22-0 with 21 KOs, is moving up to Lightweight in search of a bigger spotlight and paydays. And Saturday night is supposed to be the first step by taking on and defeating the 37 year old former two division World Champ, Gamboa. The fight is the long promoted main event for Showtime Boxing in the U.S.

Boxing Scene Sr. Writer/Columnist, Keith Idec, reported about 90 minutes later Friday that Davis got back on the scale and was just under the limit on this attempt:

Gervonta Davis officially weighed 134.8 pounds on his second trip to the scale. Leonard Ellerbe made sure I saw the scale when Tank was standing on it. He'll pay a fine to the Georgia commission, part of which goes to Gamboa, but the WBA world lightweight title is at stake 4 both

— Keith Idec (@Idecboxing) December 27, 2019

Davis is no stranger to weight controversy in his career.

Davis needed three attempts to make weight the day before his May 2017, IBF Jr. Lightweight title defense in London against Britain’s Liam Walsh. On the third attempt, more than two hours after the initial weigh-in, Davis made the 130 lb. weight and eventually, knocked out Walsh in the third round.

Later, in August 2017 he was scheduled to defend the IBF belt against Francisco Fonseca on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Connor McGregor Vegas fight.

However, the day before, Davis was a full two pounds over the 130 lb. limit and chose not to even try to shed that in the time allowed. The IBF quickly moved to strip Davis for missing weight and declared it a non-title fight for him, but Fonseca would gain their belt, if he won.

Davis scored a controversial 8th round TKO, when he landed a punch to the back of Fonseca’s head and Fonseca could not continue. The referee did not rule it a foul and let the KO win stand.

Davis subsequently won the WBA Jr. Lightweight Title with a third round KO of Jesus Cuellar in April of 2018 and defended it twice before vacating it earlier this fall. His last fight was a second round TKO in June of lightly regarded Panamanian, Ricardo Nunez, in his hometown of Baltimore.

And, that has set things into motion for Davis to go for a Lightweight World title.

A title fight that was in jeopardy part of Friday afternoon due to too much intake over the holidays.

Now, Davis can concentrate on trying to win impressively.