LOS ANGELES — Junior lightweight world titleholder Gervonta Davis and former three-division titlist Abner Mares are nearing a deal that would see them meet in February in a Showtime-televised main event, Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza told ESPN on Thursday.
“They’re in discussions and getting closer to a deal and, hopefully, it will be finalized to make the February schedule on Showtime,” said Espinoza, who is in Los Angeles to oversee the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Showtime PPV card Saturday night at Staples Center.
Espinoza said the site has not been determined and that the fight could be any of the Saturday nights in February other than Feb. 2, the eve of the Super Bowl.
Espinoza said he believes the fight will finalized and it should not be too difficult to get it done, as both fighters want the bout and both are represented by adviser Al Haymon, the Premier Boxing Champions boss.
Davis (20-0, 19 KOs), 24, of Baltimore, would make the first defense of his second 130-pound title reign. He won his title by third-round knockout of Jesus Cuellar on April 21 but legal issues and problems with Mayweather Promotions limited him to only that fight this year.
Mares (31-3-1, 15 KOs), 33, of Montebello, California, has won world titles at bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight. He is coming off a hard-fought decision loss to featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz in a rematch in June. Mares would move up one weight class to challenge Davis in attempt to win a world title in a fourth division.
“It’s a little bit like [Errol] Spence-[Mikey] Garcia in the sense that you’ve got a guy moving up to take on a really highly regarded top guy. It’s not as big of a weight difference as Spence-Garcia, but give Abner all the credit in the world. That’s not something that you would expect him to pursue at this stage of his career,” said Espinoza, comparing the match to lightweight titlist Garcia’s attempt to move up two divisions to welterweight to challenge for Spence’s world title in their March 16 Showtime PPV headliner.
But it is Mares who has pressed for the fight with Davis, similar to how Garcia pushed for the fight with Spence, Espinoza said.
“[Davis] got called out. He didn’t seek the fight,” Espinoza said. “Of course, ‘Tank’ is going to say, ‘Sure, I’ll take the fight.’ And he’s still got [titleholder] Tevin Farmer in his sights. That’s a great regional rivalry [Baltimore versus Philadelphia]. That could be something if the promotional alliances can be worked out.”