Floyd Mayweather reiterated Monday night what his promotional company’s CEO stated in the immediate aftermath of Gervonta Davis’ knockout of Rolando Romero late last month.
Mayweather emphasized after announcing his next exhibition that his relationship with Davis is strong and that the undefeated knockout artist will continue his professional partnership with Mayweather Promotions. Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather Promotions’ CEO, stated during a post-fight press conference following Davis’ most recent victory May 28 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn that the company remains Davis’ promoter.
“I’m not here to talk about Tank,” said Mayweather, who referenced Davis by his nickname. “He’s a hell of a fighter. He’s with us forever. I like Tank. I love Tank. He loves me. We have a great relationship, and we’re happy. We always wanna stay positive. You know, the media always asking negative questions. So, we’re not talking about nothing negative. We’re talking about things that’s positive. Tank, I love you. We talk every day. Keep up the great work. I’m proud of you.”
The 27-year-old Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) sparked speculation when he indicated on social media during the promotion of his grudge match with Romero that it would be his last fight with Mayweather Promotions. Two months before Davis defeated Romero, Mayweather, when asked about Davis possibly parting ways with his company, told FightHype.com during an interview posted to its YouTube channel that “nothing lasts forever.”
By fight night, however, Davis praised the company that has promoted him for most of his nine-year professional career and helped build the Baltimore native into one of boxing’s most consistently successful gate attractions in the United States. Mayweather usually sits ringside and yells instructions and words of encouragement toward Davis during his fights, but the undefeated five-division champion didn’t attend the Davis-Romero card due to what Ellerbe said was “a family emergency.”
Nevertheless, the popular Davis is by far Mayweather Promotions’ most marketable boxer.
The powerful southpaw’s victory over Romero (14-1, 12 KOs), which was the main event of another Showtime Pay-Per-View event, helped draw a capacity crowd of 18,970 to Barclays Center. That was the largest audience and highest-grossing boxing card at that venue since Barclays Center began staging boxing shows in October 2012.
The 45-year-old Mayweather, meanwhile, has scheduled another exhibition for an undetermined date in September in Japan. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday, and his upcoming opponent, Japanese mixed martial artist Mikuru Asakura, attended a press conference to promote their fight Monday night at M Resort Spa Casino in Henderson, Nevada.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.