Jake Paul’s highly anticipated fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis may be in jeopardy after a surprising development from his promotion team, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). According to reports, MVP has withdrawn its request for the necessary event permits and rule waivers to host the bout in Georgia.
Paul, who has built a boxing career with victories over MMA fighters, fellow YouTubers, and more recently legitimate boxers like Andre August, Ryan Bourland, Mike Tyson, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., announced in August that he would face Davis on November 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Despite questions over weight classes and competitive legitimacy, the matchup drew plenty of attention.
However, Rick Thompson, chairman of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission (GAEC), told USA TODAY Sports that the permit withdrawal means the fight is no longer officially sanctioned in Georgia. “It’s in the public’s interest to know that because they’ve been promoting something they should not have been,” Thompson stated.
Permits and rule waivers are required even for exhibition bouts in the state. Without them, the fight cannot legally proceed in Atlanta.
Adding to the uncertainty, a pre-fight press conference originally scheduled for September 17 was suddenly pushed back to September 22, raising further questions about the event's status.
Despite this, fans can still sign up for pre-sale ticket access, and Netflix — which was set to stream the bout — continues to advertise the event as going forward.
At this point, it remains unclear whether the fight will still happen in Atlanta, be relocated, or scrapped entirely. Neither Jake Paul, Gervonta Davis, nor MVP has officially addressed the situation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ