Advisor Leonard Ellerbe says he understands why lightweight champion Vasily Lomachenko chose not to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis this year, but is open to the possibility of it happening later.
Ellerbe is not sure if Lomachenko will retire, but if he does, he will respect that decision because he feels he had a great career. Indeed, Lomachenko has won three world division titles and chose to fight at 135 when he could have held the top spot for several years had he stayed at 130 or 126.
Lomachenko, 36, has taken the rest of 2024 after capturing the IBF lightweight title with an 11th-round knockout of George Kambosos Jr. on the 12th of May.
Ellerbe says a fight between Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) and WBA lightweight champion Tank Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is the biggest thing Loma’s promoters at Top Rank can do.
Tank Davis is tentatively scheduled to defend against Lamont Roach on March 1, 2025. It’s a fight that has been postponed several times since it was originally scheduled for December 14.
Why did Lomachenko choose to take time off?
“He decided to take the rest of the year. He had a lot of things, especially with what his country went through,” said Leonard Ellerbe to KO Artist Sports about Vasily Lomachenko decides not to take the fight with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis at this time.
It is believed that Lomachenko chose not to fight Tank Davis later for these reasons:
- Consider concerns: Lomachenko lost a controversial decision to Devin Haney on May 20, 2023, and is not happy with the verdict for that fight.
- Not motivated enough: The motivation is not there to return to the ring for what would be a difficult fight against Tank.
- The risk is not worth it: Fighting Tank Davis at this point in Loma’s career involved a lot of risk, and it could end badly for him.
- Being prepared to lose: Did Tank wait until Lomachenko was old before fighting him? That could be a reason for Loma’s reluctance to fight.
“I have no respect for him, Egis, and they know it’s the biggest fight they could possibly do humanly,” Ellerbe continued about Lomachenko. “It’s the biggest fight for Top Rank they can do, and they know what it is.
“So if he (Lomachenko) chooses to ride off into the sunset, so be it. He’s had a good career, and I respect him. He knows what he’s doing against Tank Davis. He certainly knows what that looks like.”
Some fans believe that Lomachenko feels that Tank Davis intentionally waited until he was in his mid-30s before fighting him. In other words, Tank the elder before agreeing to do this fight to ensure victory. Lomachenko had wanted to fight Tank six years ago in 2018, but was ignored.
Tank Davis Sweepstakes: Who’s Next?
“He’s a warrior at heart, he’s a champion. Tank doesn’t sit back and wait. If it goes away, it goes away, and if it doesn’t, the show goes on. It was a fight that I thought was going to to happen, but the show has to go on. Who else is going to win the Tank lottery?” Ellerbe said.
The ideal lucky winner for the Tank fight “The Big Tuna” is the first place William Zepeda, who is the most entertaining fighter among the contenders and ready for a world title shot.
