Gervonta Davis addressed his August 2017 fight when he missed weight and was stripped of his IBF super featherweight title.
In the final press conference before he is set to face off against Jesus Cuellar for the WBA super featherweight title, Davis said he was distracted in the buildup to his August title defense against Francisco Fonseca. That fight was the co-main event to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor pay-per-view card, but after missing weight, the IBF stripped Davis of his title.
"I had a lot of distractions last camp that led to me missing weight. From that day forward, I was focused on getting back to a world title shot. I let people down when I lost the title on the scale, but now I'm more focused," Davis said.
The issue of Davis' weight after being stripped of the title has been a minor talking point for the former world champion. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, who helps promote Davis, spoke to Fightful back in March and said Davis has learned from the experience and hopes to put the past behind him. Ellerbe echoed Davis' sentiments that the undefeated boxer is more motivated than ever before.
Davis will be fighting in the opening bout of the April 21 Showtime Championship Boxing television card at the Barclays Center against Cuellar. Davis first won the IBF title on January 2017 at the Barclays Center when he defeated then-IBF world champion Jose Pedraza to become one of the sport's youngest world champions. Fightful will have live coverage of the Barclays Center card on April 21.
