Davis makes first defence of WBA belt
WBA “super” junior-lightweight champion Gervonta Davis from Baltimore, Maryland makes the first defence of his belt against late replacement Hugo Ruiz of Mexico at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old southpaw Davis (20-0; 19) won the WBA belt in April last year when he stopped Jesus Marcello Andres Cuellar in the third round.
He had previously won the IBF junior-lightweight belt in January 2017 with a seventh-round stoppage win over Jose Pedraza, and made a successful defence against Liam Walsh (tko 3).
On 26 August, 2017 he knocked out Francisco Fonseca in the eighth round but was stripped of the IBF belt for failing to make the weight.
Ruiz, 32, who has a record of 39-4; 33 and fights out of Glendora, California, came in as a late replacement when Abner Mares had to pull out due to injury.
Ruiz is rated at No. 9 by the WBA and has height (176cm) and reach (179cm) advantages over the stocky Davis (height 166cm and reach 171cm).
Davis has won his last 11 fights inside the distance and the odds are that he will once again win inside the distance.
The other main organisation champions are WBA (secondary title), Albert Machado, WBC, Miguel Berchalt, WBO, Masyuki Ito and IBF, Tevin Farmer.
