Gervonta Davis Beats Rolando Romero Via TKO to Retain Lightweight Title

Gervonta Davis once again showed why he's one of boxing's premier knockout artists, as he stopped the previously undefeated Rolando Romero in the sixth round with a brilliant counter left to retain his WBA secondary lightweight title on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

It was a difficult fight for the 27-year-old Davis, who had to contend with Romero's power, size and aggression. There were moments when it looked like Romero might take control of the fight, but Davis dialed up the perfect punch when he needed it. Romero tagged him with a right hand to the jaw and then the midsection, but he ended up leaning into a counter left that sent him crashing into the ropes and unable to continue the fight.

The TKO win makes it 25 stoppages in 27 career fights for Davis. He's now defended his WBA title four times.

It was a tough ending for Romero, who was ahead on at least one scorecard entering the sixth round.

The 26-year-old challenger did plenty of trash talking in the buildup to the fight, even going so far as to promise a first-round knockout. His actions in the ring didn't follow, however, as he spent much of the three minutes pawing at Davis and boxing cautiously. Davis mostly did the same in the opening frame, and that set the tone for the rest of the fight.

The first real sparks were generated by Romero about halfway through the second round. His aggressive maneuvering allowed him to pin Davis on the ropes and tag him with a two-punch combination. Davis didn't come up with anything quite as eye-catching in the frame, as he worked off the back foot and tried to bait Romero into making mistakes.

That salvo from Romero didn't quite open up the fight, as both fighters clearly respected each other's power and fought carefully. Romero had success by pushing forward in the ring and trying to dictate the tempo. He got the better of the champion in a couple of exchanges in the third round. His overhand right proved to be a potent weapon.

After a slow start, Davis slowly but surely added wrinkles to his attack. He mixed in shots to the body that blunted Romero's momentum, and by the end of the fourth round, he had the timing down on his straight left. He also did a better job of moving laterally as the fight went on, which kept him from having to fight off the back foot. 

In a bout where relatively few punches were landed, Davis got the one that counted. He never quite took control of a fairly even bout, but his breathtaking power ensured he didn't have to. Romero beat the 10-count after the brutal knockdown, but his legs betrayed him and the referee was forced to call off the action.

This fight should be a confidence boost for Davis, as he got back to his knockout ways after a difficult decision win over Isaac Cruz in December. In both fights, Davis showed off his ability to remain calm under pressure and throw a wide variety of punches. The improvement here was patience, as Davis didn't resort to hunting for the uppercut and instead let the big moment come to him.

As one of boxing's top draws, Davis will again be assured of another pay-per-view bout against a high-profile opponent.