Fighters from a bygone era yearned to see their name displayed prominently on the massive billboards lining Las Vegas Boulevard, famously known as The Strip.
Now, the neon lights are a bit dimmer, but the names Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis are still visible.
Their arrangement to box on Nov. 14, which Paul verified Wednesday, is no longer just an emblem of the Fight Capital, but a marker of how boxing has progressively shifted away from pure sport and towards a more theatrical form of sports entertainment.
Ever since UFC and WWE joined forces in 2023, industry experts expressed worries that the dominant MMA organization might suffer if Vince McMahon’s approach infiltrated the thriving combat sport.
However, as we find ourselves in 2025, it is actually boxing, and not the UFC, that is progressively obscuring the distinction between authentic competition and mere spectacle.
One of boxing’s premier fighters, the hard-hitting “Tank” Davis, who previously mentioned plans to retire after 2025, has opted to engage in a frivolous exhibition match with the internet personality Jake Paul, instead of pursuing a more significant rematch that would cement his legacy.
Earlier in the year, “Tank” battled Lamont Roach Jr. — a super featherweight titleholder who bravely challenged Davis at lightweight. Roach caused a stir by initially outperforming Davis. He successfully landed striking combinations, and even briefly stunned “Tank” with a counter right uppercut in the eighth round of their March 1 fight at Barclays Center in New York City.
Davis was so taken aback by Roach’s skills that he turned his back during the ninth round. Had referee Steve Willis given a full count, Roach might have secured one of the most impressive victories of the year.
Instead, the judges declared a draw for both competitors.
A rematch had been tentatively scheduled for the summer, but Davis’ arrest on July 11 due to a domestic battery incident from the previous month derailed the potential second showdown.
When the legal charges were dropped on Aug. 12, it opened the door to reviving discussions about Davis vs. Roach 2. This would have been a significant fight for the 135-pound division and the sport on the whole.
Instead, we are faced with a fight that very few desired, set on one of the most elaborate stages imaginable, as Netflix prepares to broadcast the event from State Farm Arena in Atlanta to a considerable worldwide audience.
Boxing has seen crossover fights before.
A notable instance was in 2017, when boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced off against Conor McGregor, the former two-division UFC champion. However, this didn’t detract from the sport itself or impede a particular division. Mayweather wasn’t a titleholder at the time. It merely added another event to the boxing calendar.
Paul has also been involved in similar types of events, like his fight against Nate Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. during the early phases of the coronavirus pandemic. Like Mayweather vs. McGregor, this event did not hold the sport back. It simply added an event when boxing was in desperate need of them due to lockdowns and the subsequent suspension of sports.
However, this time there is a delay.
Davis is the WBA lightweight champion. He’s turned down Roach, who many argue deserved a win against him earlier this year. He’s also turned down other fighters in the WBA rankings, like the No. 1-ranked contender Floyd Schofield. He’s even denied a potentially lucrative unification bout with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson — a fight that fans have been eager to see for years.
Paul could also have more meaningful matchups if he wanted.
In his most recent fight, he won on points against former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28 in Anaheim — the same card in Southern California where Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defeated Yuniel Doricos. Ramirez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, even suggested that a fight between his cruiserweight boxer and Paul was “realistic.”
This bout could have granted Paul more credibility within boxing if he truly seeks it. However, an injury Ramirez sustained during that fight, and the subsequent shoulder surgery, put a halt to the discussions for the time being. A fight with Anthony Joshua was also considered by the heavyweight’s representative Eddie Hearn, and Paul had also been linked to IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
Instead, we are getting a fight announcement tailored for content creation, clicks, and broader reach — demonstrating that boxing, rather than the UFC, was truly poised for the WWE treatment.
And would you like to know the most disconcerting aspect?
I appreciate it.
Yes, traditional boxing fans will likely disapprove. I’m not among them.
Yes, this match delays far more meaningful fights and compromises the integrity of the sport.
But spectacle carries its own power. This keeps boxing in the media spotlight and introduces Davis to a larger mainstream audience than ever before. With effective promotion and supplementary programming, “Tank” could tap into an audience that he could leverage should he unify his WBA title with Stevenson’s WBC belt next year. The exhibition also keeps Paul on a focused path. Perhaps the plan is to challenge Ramirez for his WBC cruiserweight crown next year as well. Even an exhibition with Davis, in what would only be Paul’s 15th boxing event (13 professional fights), marks a considerable step up from what the internet personality has previously achieved.
As much as it might bother purists, this is a money-making and attention-grabbing event. It’s already captured my attention — because, whether you love it or hate it, Paul vs. Davis isn’t just an exhibition. It’s a spectacle — and the clearest reflection yet of boxing’s current state. In 2025, boxing’s biggest fights are not about championship titles — they’re about cultural relevance.
