“No, I think that ‘Tank’ will be the last one that he picks.
“He is the most dangerous one. He is going to take, I am not going to say the easy route, but the [one with] less punishment. He is going to go that way,” said coach Kenny Ellis to MillCity Boxing.
“All of them [lightweight] guys right now, s**t, they can crack, all of ‘em. So, it is just up to him, which one he wants to get KO’d by.”
Ellis’ comments are in response to reports that surfaced that Lomachenko plans to return against unified 130-pound champion Emanuel Navarrete before targeting Tank Davis in a long-discussed lightweight fight.
Tank and Lomachenko spent years tied to each other in rumors, negotiations, and fan debates without the fight ever happening. Momentum toward the bout disappeared when Lomachenko stepped away from boxing last year, but his reported decision to return without rebuilding fights immediately reopened the discussion.
Ellis questioned whether Lomachenko would pursue Gervonta because he truly wants the challenge or because the fight carries the biggest financial upside available to him.
“No, [it wouldn’t surprise me if he chose to fight Davis], that is the biggest payday,” said Ellis.
“It wouldn’t surprise me, but do he really want the fight, or do he want it for the money?”
Tank is still searching for activity after long stretches outside the ring. He has been connected to a possible rematch with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at 140 pounds, while much of the recent attention around him has centered on issues away from boxing rather than future opponents.
Lomachenko returning at all already changes the lightweight picture. Tank’s team clearly does not believe he comes back looking for the hardest available fight first.
