Gervonta Davis braces up for WBA super featherweight title defence

The U.S. boxer will face the challenge from Mexican veteran Hugo Ruiz.

Gervonta Davis: "The opponent change didn't really affect me."

Gervonta Davis needed an extra half hour to make weight on Friday for his World Boxing Association super featherweight world title defence against Mexican veteran Hugo Ruiz.

Davis, unbeaten with a record of 20-0 with 19 knockouts, came in at 130.2 pounds in his first appearance on the scale, but returned to weigh in under the 130-pound limit at 129.8. The powerful southpaw was supposed to be defending against three-division champion Abner Mares.

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But the 33-year-old Mares (31-3-1, 15 knockouts) pulled out two weeks ago after learning he had suffered a career-threatening detached retina in his right eye in a sparring session.

No difference

Ruiz, a former super bantamweight world title holder with a record of 39-4 with 33 knockouts, replaced Mares on 10 days’ notice. “The opponent change didn’t really affect me,” Davis said this week. “I had been sparring someone taller than me in training camp anyway. I think a fighter should be ready and able to adapt to anything that is in front of him in the ring.

“I’m ready and I hope Ruiz is, too. He’s been telling the media he’s going to knock me out, so I hope we get an action-packed fight.”

Ruiz will be fighting just three weeks after posting a unanimous 12-round decision over Alberto Guevara on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s 12-round demolition of Adrien Broner in Las Vegas. “I’m in rhythm and in shape,” he said. “Davis is a tremendous champion, but he doesn’t intimidate me.”