[ Bell chimes ] Lennon:
All right, fans, here we go. It's time for the bout
you've all been waiting for. Announcer:
This crowd going wild! My God.
Look at that. He is in trouble!
Look at his legs! The crowd is electric! Tyson bringing it on! Down goes Bruno into the ropes! A right by Barkley,
and Hearns is down! Oh! Down goes Chavez for
the first time in his career! What a shot
by Evander Holyfield! Castillo's in trouble! What a fight! Lennon:
I-I-It's Showtime! -- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com Ranallo:
Here at the Barclays Center, we are set for the 130-pound
titleholder, Jose Pedraza, to make the third defense of his
title, against Gervonta Davis. Time for the official
introductions. Here's Hall of Fame
ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. Lennon: All right, fans.
Here we go. Twelve rounds of boxing for the IBF junior lightweight
championship of the world. [ Cheers and applause ] Introducing to you first,
the challenger, on my left, fighting out of the red corner, wearing white trunks
with gold trim, fighting out of and representing
his home of Baltimore, Maryland. He weighed in at 129 pounds. He is undefeated in his campaign
in the ring, with a record of 16 wins,
no losses, 15 big wins coming
by way of knockout. Currently ranked the IBF
number-8 world contender, tonight making his first attempt
at a world title -- introducing the undefeated
Gervonta "Tank" Davis! [ Cheers and applause ] And his opponent
across the ring, the defending world champion,
on my right, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing silver trunks
with blue and red trim, hailing from Cidra, Puerto Rico. He weighed in at 129 1/2 pounds. He is also undefeated
in his campaign, with a record of 22 wins,
no losses, 12 wins coming by way
of knockout. Tonight he is making
the third defense of his title. Introducing the undefeated IBF junior lightweight champion
of the world, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza! [ Crowd booing ] Once again,
here is our referee in charge, now to give instructions,
Ricky Gonzalez. Gentlemen,
you received instructions in the dressing room. I expect a good, clean fight. Protect yourselves at all times. Obey my commands at all times. [ Speaking Spanish ] Touch gloves. Good luck, man. Ranallo: So here in front
of a large crowd at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, we begin 2017
on Showtime Championship Boxing with a 130-pound
championship affair. [ Bell chimes ] Referee Ricky Gonzalez
calls for the bell. The champion, Jose Pedraza, in the silver, blue,
and red trunks. The challenger, Gervonta Davis,
in the white with gold. Many ringside observers
wondering which version of Gervonta Davis
we will see. His nickname is "Tank." His fans hope it's Sherman. Pedraza's camp hope it's septic. Bernstein: [ Laughs ]
Start for the year, Mauro. You know, Pedraza, who gets nailed with a big left
right away, he is a righty. But he switches. He came out as a lefty against
the left-handed Davis. Malignaggi:
It seems like Pedraza is trying to come out
putting a lot of pressure, maybe trying to catch
the youngster off guard a little bit,
maybe too excited. Ranallo: Davis has blown the
majority of his competition out in the early rounds, but, again, has never faced
anyone the caliber of the undefeated 130-pound
titleholder, Jose Pedraza. Malignaggi: Davis is throwing
some sharp shots, but he is kind of excited. He's gonna have to calm down. This is kind of a fast pace
for him. Ranallo: Nice combination
put together by Davis as we pass the 1-minute mark
of the opening round. Bernstein:
This is not the fight Pedraza said
he was going to fight. He said he was gonna box. We've seen Pedraza do both --
go inside and box. Ranallo: You talk about the gulf
in professional experience. This is Pedraza's 151st round
as a professional. For Davis, this is just
professional round number 44. Malignaggi:
Sharp counter uppercut. That was sharp. One thing Gervonta Davis
is gonna understand, though -- At this level,
a lot of those sharp shots that were hurting lower-level
guys are not gonna hurt him. Pedraza keeps coming forward. It's gonna be the long haul where Davis is gonna have to
stay consistent with this kind of work. Ranallo:
Davis off to a strong start, targeting the head
of the champion and scoring. Final minute of the first frame. Bernstein: Pedraza is coming off
his best performance as a pro, in his win
against Stephen Smith, but he fought much differently
than he is tonight. Ranallo: Right hand scores
for the champion, Pedraza. Davis, the smaller of the two
fighters in physical stature, attacking the body. Malignaggi: I think Pedraza
will eventually settle back into his normal style. I think he came out fast just to see what the youngster
had in his tank and if maybe he could catch him
being a little nervous. But Davis has reacted
very poised in this first round. Bernstein:
Mm-hmm. Ranallo: The punches bounce
off the gloves of Jose Pedraza. Nice right hand to the body
by Jose Pedraza. Nice left hook to the head
by Davis. Good start to this 130-pound
title tilt. [ Bell chimes ]
Time! Malignaggi: Sharp counter
uppercut again by Davis. [ Cheers and applause ] Bernstein: We'll look at
the keys for Jose Pedraza in this fight. His keys to victory --
Create doubt early. He tried to do that
by being very aggressive. Not sure he succeeded. Control the range. Well, he decided to go
on the inside. Switch at will. He did it immediately by coming
out as a lefty, not a righty. We'll see if he goes back
to the right-handed stance during the course of this fight. As for Davis --
smart aggression, coming forward
without getting hit too much, think defense when you're doing
it, and land the left hand. He did land some excellent
left uppercuts. [ Whistle blows ] [ Bell chimes ] Ranallo:
Round number 2. Gervonta Davis was taken to the
Upton Boxing Center in Baltimore by an uncle at the age of 7. He is trained
by 52-year-old Calvin Ford, who inspired the character
Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the highly acclaimed
TV series "The Wire." Ford has worked
with so many troubled youngsters in Baltimore, looking to
give them a better life. And Gervonta Davis a huge
role model to those youngsters. Malignaggi: Somebody must have
told Pedraza in the corner, "Come out, get back
to the fundamentals." He's coming out using the jab a little bit more effectively
this round. Bernstein: And it's interesting,
'cause he landed 11 jabs in the first round,
according to ShoStats, but it's just that Davis did
such good offensive work. And Pedraza does average
13 more jabs than Davis does as a fighter. Ranallo: Pedraza known
for his sharp jab. Off to a sharper start
here in round 2. Looking to back up Davis
and utilize that jab. Malignaggi: It's also a better
sense of distance by Pedraza in general with the lead hand. I think he understands
if he steps in too hard, Davis is waiting with that sharp
overhand left counter. Ranallo:
There's a jab by Davis. But backed up to the ropes
by Pedraza. Working from
the southpaw stance. That right hook was blocked
by the glove of Davis. Bernstein:
You know, in round 1, Paulie alluded to the fact that
Davis landed big power punches, did not hurt or knock down
Pedraza. In previous fights,
those have done that against lesser opponents. Malignaggi:
An adjustment Pedraza's made -- He's not overcommitting
to the offense this time. In the first round, I think
he was a little too excited and trying to catch Davis off
guard. No, no. Keep it clean, man.
Keep it clean. Bernstein: He hit Pedraza
when he was down. May get a warning for that. Slip. Ranallo: Pedraza told us
that Davis is fast, attacks fast,
uses the uppercut well, but he does not use his legs
much. He opens up too much, particularly when throwing
his hooks. Bernstein:
Ooh. Ranallo: Nice right uppercut on
the inside and then to the body. Davis opening up on Pedraza! [ Crowd cheering ] Bernstein: Why is Pedraza making
this fight easier for Davis by staying right there? I think he's testing
the young man, maybe he's testing his power,
but that just makes no sense. Malignaggi: I think he's trying
to test him mentally by continuing to walk him down. I don't know if it's gonna be
the right plan, but we'll see. I think he's trying to test him
and create doubt in his mind. Bernstein: Yeah, but he's
getting hit with some shots. Ranallo: Another left uppercut
on the inside by Davis. There's an uppercut by Pedraza
on the inside. Final 15 seconds of the second. Pedraza attacking the body. Good combination by Davis. Malignaggi: Davis with flashy
combinations on the inside. Ranallo: Two rounds
in the books here in Brooklyn. Malignaggi: Those get
the judges' attention. [ Bell chimes ]
Time! [ Cheers and applause ] Ranallo: Earlier tonight
on Showtime Extreme, we had two exciting
preliminary bouts. Here's Steve Farhood, who called
the action with Barry Tompkins. Farhood:
Indeed, Mo. In the first fight, a fight that
I think will definitely hold up as a candidate
for fight of the year, you see Immanuwel Aleem,
in the white trunks, dropping Ievgen Khytrov. These are undefeated
middleweights. And then he finishes Khytrov
in round 6 in a fight where Aleem was hurt
badly more than once. He goes to 17-0-1.
He is now a contender. Fantastic fight. And in the main event
on Sho Extreme, the first women's title fight
on a major network in 10 years. Amanda Serrano
from New York City. Yazmin Rivas from Mexico. Serrano with the big left hand. They started fast.
They finished fast. Serrano won most of the rounds and won a unanimous
10-round decision. An important fight to the future of women's boxing
in the USA, Mo. Ranallo:
Thanks a lot, Steve. Showtime bringing women's MMA
to the masses back in 2007. Great to see the ladies of
boxing back on Showtime in 2017. As we begin round 3. The champion at 130 pounds,
Jose Pedraza, against Gervonta Davis,
undefeated. At just 22, getting his
first crack at a title. Al, the question going in was would he be able to handle
this step up? So far, so good. Bernstein: Yeah. I think part
of that is because -- Oh, wow.
That was a little chippy there. Time. Time. Pedraza,
distressed at being held, whacked him behind the head
three times. The next one is gonna cost you
a point, okay? Pregunta. Okay? All right. Time in! The interesting thing to me is Pedraza is more powerful
as a righty. He's come out as a lefty and
chosen to fight a power fight. That fascinates me. Malignaggi: Sometimes it's
easier to find those openings when you fight a lefty
as a lefty. Ranallo: Davis finds another
opening with the right hand. Just misses
with that laser left. And it appears Davis' confidence
is growing by the second! Bernstein:
I think this is a huge mistake. Pedraza may get through it.
He may win this fight. I think this is absurd tactics
for him early in the fight, to give this young man a chance
to fight in his office against a guy who's in
a less powerful stance. I just think it's a mistake.
We'll see. Malignaggi: Pedraza's not doing
some of the fundamental things that could -- Oh, nice little
sharp uppercut by Pedraza there. Not doing some
of the fundamental things. You've got a guy who's a sharp
counterpuncher in Davis. Use a couple of feints. Make him bite
on a couple of those. That way,
he's looking to counter air, and then you can counter that. Ranallo: Nice counter left hand
by Gervonta Davis. Midpoint of round 3. Malignaggi: Pedraza's making it
easy for Davis to counter him, 'cause when he's gonna punch,
he punches. He never feints and baits him
out of position. Ranallo: Gervonta Davis'
trainer, Calvin Ford, saying he was ready
for his big walk. He is making the most out of his
big opportunity here tonight. Showing composure.
Showing flash. Pedraza continues to fight
out of the southpaw stance, but not really scoring. See?
Good head movement by Davis. Malignaggi: Davis makes
all those defensive moves. If you drop a feint in there,
you put him out of position. Overhand left scored by Davis. Bernstein: Swelling already
under the right eye of Pedraza from some of those hooks. Malignaggi: Yeah.
Davis landed some sharp shots. Ranallo: Davis tags the body
with the right. That left hook was off the arm
of Pedraza. Last 30 seconds
of the third round. And Davis doing a good job of avoiding the majority
of Pedraza's attack. Right-left connects by the Tank
here at the end of round 3. [ Bell chimes ]
Time! Malignaggi: Pedraza starting to
arrive with some of the offense at the end of the round. Bernstein:
There was a difficult moment when a side headlock made
Pedraza a little distressed. Oh, and he got whacked
in the head by Davis, and that's what prompted
that right hand to the back of the head. Davis hit him while he had him
in the headlock. And here's where Pedraza --
Right in the pocket, and Davis comes with the big
uppercut and the right hook. Davis has showed
good combination punching so far in this fight. And he told us
he has better skills than people give him credit for. This is back and forth
during the course of this. Pedraza did have a few moments. They both landed big right hands
there -- a left hand by Davis
and a right by Pedraza. But for the most part, Pedraza not doing as well
on the inside as he'd like. [ Bell chimes ] Ranallo: The bell goes
to begin round number 4. There have been seven 130-pound
champions from Puerto Rico, most notably Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Gomez,
and Alfredo Escalera. Pedraza, at this moment, the lone male champion born
in Puerto Rico. And Pedraza off
to a more aggressive start, but the high guard by Davis
blocking a lot of those shots. Bernstein:
Davis now getting -- talking and getting
very confident. Could get overconfident
doing that. Ranallo: Those shots are being
blocked by the guard of Pedraza. Malignaggi: Yeah, but some of
the thud gets through. Ranallo:
Davis attacking the body now. Showing good IQ, Paulie. Malignaggi: You've got to either
move your head or catch and shoot off there. You can't just catch it
and not do anything. Bernstein: Pedraza may take
all this punishment and come back
and get to Davis -- who, by the way,
has never been past nine rounds. So he may tire him out,
and he may get it done, but this strategy, to me,
is ludicrous early in the fight. Ranallo: Davis continues
to tattoo the body. Davis, just a three-year pro, entering his first
title showdown with seven straight victories
by stoppage. Malignaggi: Look. Right there.
No counterpunching there. You're giving him this high
guard, giving Davis free shots. If you're gonna stay
with that high guard like that and not move your head,
you've got to at least be ready to come back
with some sharp counters. Otherwise, you're gonna give
Davis no reason to doubt that offense,
that sharp offense. Pedraza talking back now. Bernstein:
[ Chuckles ] Ranallo: Again, just his 17th
professional fight. Undefeated at 16-0, with 15 of those wins
coming inside the distance. Malignaggi:
Very creative is Davis. Sharp counters.
Different angles. I'll tell you
what he's living up to. He's living up to that outfit
he's got on. You wear that flashy outfit,
you got to be able to fight. Bernstein:
True. Ranallo:
Final minute of the fourth. Yeah. Look who's talking,
Mr. Malignaggi. Malignaggi: It takes one
to know one, right? Bernstein:
You have been known to wear some interesting outfits. Ranallo: Some interesting
hairstyles as well. Oh. Pedraza with a sharp right
to the body. Bernstein: He has thrown some
good right hooks down there, but that one, the best. Again, it's early in the fight
to talk about this, but because of Pedraza's
strategy, you have to. He's 5-0 over 12-round fights,
Davis never past nine. Ranallo: But Pedraza scoring now
with the combination. Malignaggi: They're both talking
to each other. They're both trying to spite
each other with the "Whoo!" Ranallo: Doing their Ric Flair
impression. Malignaggi:
[ Laughs ] Yeah. Both of them. Bernstein:
And now Pedraza, who normally throws
many more punches than Davis, is starting to open up
in terms of combinations. Whoo! Malignaggi: You know, one little
thing positive about Pedraza -- He's starting to fire back
in between Davis a little bit. [ Bell chimes ]
Time! [ Applause ] [ Speaking Spanish ] Interpreter:
That's the way. Listen to me.
Listen to me. The same thing,
but you're staying inside. Move it.
Move it around. Go to the side. I'm gonna start getting nice
and heated up here now. The points are going over there. You're going fine,
but the points are there. You've got to step it up now,
okay? Okay? How you doing?
Twelve-round fight, yo. You got to keep poking holes
in him, hear? All right.
Seconds out. I need that eye, hear?
I got it. I got it. [ Bell chimes ] Ranallo:
This is round 5. Scheduled for 12 for
Jose Pedraza's 130-pound title. His stepfather, Luis Espada,
is his trainer and giving him some truth serum
in that corner, Al. Bernstein:
It is good advice. Pedraza may have well have won
the last round, but the other rounds
certainly went to Davis. And they want him not to stay
in the pocket with Davis, to give him some movement. Malignaggi:
And from the other side, Davis' corner told him to keep
poking the holes in Pedraza. And that means just keep
with the sharp shots. It's a 12-round fight,
they told him. You don't need to put all
the weight on all your shots. Just poke holes through him
and keep scoring. Ranallo: And Pedraza opening up
on Davis along the ropes. Attacking the body.
Diversifying his attack. Malignaggi: And he's giving him
the "whoo" in between. Ranallo: And some change-ups
as well, Paulie. Really mixing up the speed
of his punches. Malignaggi: That's where
Pedraza's at his best -- when he doesn't commit fully
to the offense, he gives you
those baiting shots, and then he commits
to some of them -- like we talk about,
the off-speed pitch, you know? It makes it much more difficult
for Davis to time it. Bernstein: The other important
thing is the body work Pedraza is now doing to slow up
Davis later in the fight. Malignaggi: I'll tell you
what else might slow Davis down is the fast pace
he's been fighting at. This is a kid,
as we talked about, who's never been past
nine rounds. Ranallo: Davis backing up.
He's now cornered by Pedraza. Davis with an extensive
amateur background. Went 206-15. Was a 2012 national
Golden Gloves champion. But he's in against a Puerto
Rican Olympian in Pedraza, who's very busy in this round. Malignaggi:
Here's the difference in the kind of opponent as opposed to the other ones
Davis has fought. Pedraza will be down
in the fight, as he is here, and he'll come back
trying to win rounds. The opponents Davis has fought
thus far, once they fall behind, they don't have
that winning mentality. Pedraza has that
championship mentality. You're gonna have to stay
consistent against him. Ranallo: Al, they don't
just fall behind. They just fall
for Davis thus far. Bernstein: And Pedraza doing
a very good job here now of letting the hands go. Malignaggi: It's one thing
a fighter will always realize when he fights
a championship-level fighter -- Fights come in waves. You may have the advantage. You can fall into a disadvantage
very quickly. Ranallo:
Very animated display by both prizefighters
here in Brooklyn, much to the delight
of the big crowd on hand! Malignaggi: A look of disgust on
Davis as he threw those shots. [ Crowd cheering ] Well, Pedraza getting
the timing. Ranallo: Pedraza's head movement
avoiding a lot of those shots. Bernstein:
Hey, this is fun, and this very big crowd
here at Barclays, who is well engaged, loves it. Malignaggi: See Davis starting
to hold a little bit. This is where
he's gonna have to make sure he keeps control of the pace if he wants it to keep going
his way. [ Bell chimes ]
Time! Solid round for Pedraza. [ Cheers and applause ] Bernstein:
Early in that round, Jose Pedraza pushed Davis
against the ropes and opened up with punches
to both the body and the head. Not landing monstrous punches, but as Paulie said,
he's not overcommitting and he's just basically
moving his hands and keeping him at bay. But then later on,
Davis landing some big punches and showing some bravado as well as he continues to chat
with Pedraza. And another look at that
as they both use the jabs and then the straight left hand
from Davis, who did keep his composure in the face of that assault
by Pedraza. [ Bell chimes ] Pedraza threw 89 punches
in that last round -- very busy --
according to Sho Stats. Ranallo: And Pedraza off to
a fast start here in round 6, backing Davis up again, but Davis looking to keep him
at bay with that jab. Malignaggi:
And it's Davis that comes out with the jab snapping out
early in this round. I think he's starting
to now make sure he doesn't go forgetting
the basic fundamental shots. Ranallo: Pedraza won his portion
of the 130-pound title in June of 2015
against Andrey Klimov, then scored
a highly controversial decision against the battle-tested
Edner Cherry before another successful title
defense against Stephen Smith. That came last April. In fact, Pedraza coming off
a career-long layoff -- 273 days. Bernstein: This fight
is exactly the opposite of what we expected. We thought Davis
would be coming forward, Pedraza would be boxing,
trying to land counterpunches. It has been exactly
the opposite. Malignaggi:
Both guys have fought well, even if it's been the opposite. Bernstein:
Yeah, there have been moments, but I still think it's
a tactical error by Pedraza. Ranallo: Oh, that jab snapped
the head of Pedraza back like a Pez dispenser. No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, no. Here. Bernstein: And Jose Pedraza,
who switches often, has fought this entire fight
as a lefty. Ranallo:
As a southpaw. Do you agree with that strategy,
Paulie? Malignaggi: Again, it's down to
the comfort zone of the fighter. But a lot of times, if a guy
knows how to fight lefty, he'll fight another lefty. Ranallo: Couple of right hooks
land on the face of Pedraza. And a left uppercut to the body! And another one on the inside! Malignaggi:
Good body shot by Davis. He got that underneath there.
He hurt him with that body shot. Ranallo:
Pedraza's hurt! Malignaggi: That was
a great shot to the body. Ranallo: A liver shot landed
for Gervonta Davis! Malignaggi:
Look how tight he's holding that right elbow to the body. He doesn't want to get hit there
again. Ranallo: So Pedraza tasting
the power of Gervonta Davis here in round 6. Bernstein: Well, the tactical
error that Pedraza has made has cost him in this round. Malignaggi:
He turned righty there. I think that's to get that side
of his body away from him. Bernstein:
Good idea. Ranallo:
And the jab connects by Davis. So Pedraza looking to buy some
time to get his breath back. And yet look at
Gervonta Davis -- 22 years of age,
still showing composure. Teeing off on Pedraza! [ Crowd cheering ] Less than 30 seconds left
in a sixth that has Davis hurting Pedraza and Davis teeing off
on the 130-pound champion! Malignaggi:
That body shot really debilitated Pedraza
this round. He's just finally starting
to open up now. Take the air right out of you,
you get a body shot like that. Ranallo:
Advantage, Davis. [ Bell chimes ]
Time. [ Cheers and applause ] Floyd Mayweather, who is Gervonta Davis' promoter
and mentor. He's on his feet. Good round, baby! Bernstein: Here is where
we'll see the work downstairs and how Pedraza will be hurt. Working upstairs and downstairs
is Davis. And he showed great
combination work on the inside. Malignaggi:
That's the shot right there. Bernstein: There's the body shot
that just really hurt him. And later on in the round, Davis would continue
the assault. Now Pedraza is a righty because
of the body shot, with his left hand very low
to protect the body. And Davis, very smartly,
throwing right hooks. [ Whistle blows ] [ Speaking Spanish ] [ Bell chimes ] Ranallo: Midway through this IBF
junior-lightweight title bout. Scheduled for 12 rounds. Davis met Floyd Mayweather
at a training camp for former four-division champ
Adrien Broner. Two steps back.
Two steps forward. One step right.
One step left. Balance. [ Speaking Spanish ] Front, back? Front, back, side, side,
and then stand on one leg. [ Speaking Spanish ] Go ahead. One leg.
[ Crowd booing ] You okay?
Yeah. All right. Go get 'em.
Gonzalez: Good? Ranallo:
Making sure that Jose Pedraza is able to continue. To finish my thought -- Mayweather and Davis meeting at
an Adrien Broner training camp. Shortly thereafter,
Davis signing with Mayweather. And Pedraza attacking the body. Malignaggi: I felt like
the entire medical test -- I know we all want to put
fighters' safety first, but I don't know if you need to make like you're
in the doctor's office when you're checking a fighter
either. They just gave Pedraza an extra
minute of recovery time there. Ford:
Put the heat on! Bernstein: Davis in the last
round, according to Sho Stats, landed 26 of 48
of his power shots. He was very accurate
and very active. Ranallo: A huge edge
in power punches last round. Any time you can land 50%
or more, you're having
a pretty good night. Let's bring in our unofficial
Showtime scorer, Steve Farhood. How do you have it
at the midpoint, Steve? Mo, I have it 58-56, Davis. I don't say this often,
but to me, every round's been very easy
to score. I would be very surprised if
the judges had it any different. Whichever fighter fighter has
accelerated has won the round. Who can keep the pace up
in the second half? That'll determine the winner. Ranallo:
And Davis is about to enter some uncharted territory, Al. Bernstein:
Yeah. He's only been
into the ninth round. He's never been past it. So we'll see. Ranallo:
Oh! Left hand scores! Chopping left hands by Davis
on Pedraza! Bernstein:
For the first time of the fight, Pedraza trapped on the ropes. We haven't seen that. Malignaggi:
Davis coming forward now. I don't know if Pedraza has
recovered from that body shot. Ranallo: Final 60 seconds
of the seventh. Pedraza doubled over. Opening up an opportunity
for an uppercut, just like that. [ Crowd cheering ] And it's Davis emptying
the fusillade on Pedraza! Malignaggi:
Oh. Ranallo: Vicious right hand!
Pedraza goes down! [ Crowd cheering ] Seis! Siete! Ocho! Nueve! [ Crowd cheering ]
And this fight is over! Pedraza went down for
the first time in his career, and it was night over. Gervonta Davis becomes
the new IBF 130-pound champion. What a coming-out party, Al. Bernstein: He was kind of taken
to the bosom of the crowd, and he got the job done for them and looked to all four corners
of this arena to celebrate. He is another champion
from Baltimore. First one, of course --
the great Joe Gans, the first African-American
champion, way back around 1900. And now here's another young man
following in his footsteps. Ranallo: And the first champion
from Baltimore, Paulie, since heavyweight Hasim Rahman. Malignaggi: Yeah. This is
a star-making performance. It wasn't just that he won
the world title tonight, his first world title of what's
probably expected to be many, but also the way he won it. He took on a solid, veteran,
championship-level fighter in Jose Pedraza
and took him apart. I tell you, I did not expect
this kind of performance. Bernstein: And I'm not known
as a negative commentator, but that man, Jose Pedraza, who's a very fine young man
and a good fighter, fought the most
tactically ridiculous fight I have seen in a long time. They made a fundamental error, and it cost him his championship
in my humble opinion. We will look
at how this fight culminated in a very exciting period
in the seventh round. Malignaggi:
That was a big right hook. Bernstein:
The right hook, which had become a
very important weapon for Davis, sent Pedraza down. And he had landed some
very big punches prior to that. And as you pointed out, Paulie, Pedraza was still hurt
from the body punches. And Pedraza sitting there,
getting ready to get up, but they would not allow
this fight to continue. As he struggled to his feet, the referee took
a good long look at him. Malignaggi: I don't think
he struggled to his feet, but he had taken
a lot of damage, and it's probably
a good stoppage in the end. Bernstein: Here we see it again.
The right hook of Davis. You know,
we were at the fighter meeting. Mauro mentioned to Davis, "Is that right hand
your most powerful punch?" He said, "Well, I like
both the left and the right." But tonight he showed us
both punches, but the right hook -- ultimately
a little more powerful. Malignaggi: He landed
some solid left uppercuts early on in the fight,
especially on the counter. Bernstein:
That young man demonstrated, among other things -- Malignaggi:
Look at the torque he generates. He comes with the left hand
and misses it, and it generates the torque
to the other side of his body. and he's able to get
a lot of leverage on that hook when he brings it back around. It's not the hook
you want to get hit with when it's coming back around
across the body like that, because he's generating
a lot of torque off the hips. Bernstein:
Gervonta Davis' parents battled drugs
while he was growing up. Was and in out of group
and foster homes. Was taken in by Calvin Ford
at the age of 7. And the mentor,
Floyd Mayweather, celebrating as well, as the Money Team has another
champion in Gervonta Davis. Malignaggi: But this one he's
got from the pro debut, right? Ranallo:
Correct. Malignaggi: This is his first
first pro fight to world champion. Ranallo: Let's make it official
with Jimmy Lennon Jr. [ Bell chimes ] Lennon:
Ladies and gentlemen, we have the time of 2:36
in round number 7. Our referee in charge
stops the contest. He is the winner
by way of technical knockout. He is still undefeated. He is now boxing's youngest
current world champion and the new IBF junior junior-lightweight
champion of the world, Gervonta "Tank" Davis! [ Cheers and applause ]
