After Jake Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in November last year, the YouTuber-turned-boxer immediately set his sights on bigger challenges. His first target was Canelo Alvarez, but the Mexican superstar opted for a four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Jake Paul then turned his attention to Gervonta Davis, and talks gained momentum—until Davis’ clash with Lamont Roach Jr. ended in an unexpected draw, derailing the negotiations.

Undeterred, Jake Paul squared off against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past June, securing a unanimous decision win. Early buzz suggested a showdown with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was next, but instead, ‘The Problem Child’ has locked in an exhibition against Davis. The bout is set for Friday, November 14, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, streaming live on Netflix. Following the announcement, Gervonta Davis posted a promo clip on Instagram.

Eddie Hearn takes a dig at Gervonta Davis

“See yall soon..I guess! ATL gonna be too turnt. #TheONE 🔥🔥🔥,” Davis wrote in the caption of his post, which featured a video montage of both his and Jake Paul’s fights, serving as the promo for their upcoming clash. Never mind the staggering 65-pound weight difference between them, based on their last outings—Davis’ next step has shocked fans. He was originally expected to run it back with Lamont Roach Jr. after their underwhelming bout in March, but that rematch now appears either postponed indefinitely or scrapped altogether. 

Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn—who had reluctantly entertained the idea of a Paul vs. Joshua fight—didn’t hold back when weighing in on Davis’ choice. “I think this kinda shows you where Gervonta is at,” he told The Ring during an interview. “By the way, Gervonta is probably making, I don’t know, $30 [million], $40 million. So, do you blame him?” Hearn went on to say that Davis had two clear paths and chose the easier one. 

“I guess it just comes down to if you’re in a room and you’re trying to make a business decision, and you’re getting $5 [million], $6 [million], $7 [million], $8 million to rematch Lamont Roach in a 50-50 fight, or you’re getting $30 million to fight Jake Paul,” Hearn explained. Still, despite the payday, the WBA lightweight champion may not have anticipated the wave of backlash crashing down on him.

Fans want to boycott ‘Tank’ Davis vs. Jake Paul

After the Davis vs. Roach Jr. fight ended, the anticipation of that fight was immense. With Davis heading down a different path, people seem to have been disappointed. One user urged people to boycott the event altogether. “People shouldn’t even tune in,” the user wrote. However, like Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson last year, this is likely to be a huge financial success due to Paul’s ability to sell fights.

Another user was left perplexed by Davis’ choice to fight Paul. “Why [are] you fighting him, bro?” asked the user. The answer is simple—money, and a whole lot of it. 

The next user condemned Davis for his decision. “Sell out,” the user branded Davis. However, it’s unlikely to affect the Baltimore native since money appears to be his main motivation.  

Someone else raised doubts about the competitive nature of the fight. “THIS WWE AT THIS POINT SMH 🤦🏽‍♂️ They done took the competitive nature from the boxing. This is strictly for entertainment now,” someone else wrote. The fight is likely counting on casual fans tuning in to watch the fight. 

Meanwhile, this user demanded the fight be canceled. “Fight is a Joke, cut it out,” the user commented. However, that’s not happening. 

From the looks of things, the public is not at all happy about Gervonta Davis fighting Jake Paul. Despite that, the fight will likely turn out to be a huge financial success. It would be interesting to see whether Davis fights Lamont Roach Jr. after this. How do you feel about the fight?