Felled just once in his entire career, Gervonta Davis can count himself lucky not to have his record marred by a pair of knockdowns.
Boasting a stunning unbeaten record — maintained despite his close draw with Lamont Roach Jr. — Gervonta Davis has gone undefeated in his first 31 professional fights.
And landing a huge finishing rate of 93.3% throughout his career, Davis would launch one of the most hellacious finishes in recent boxing memory.
But not without surviving some notable adversity in the very first round of his defining career victory.
Gervonta Davis ruled to have slipped after big shot from Leo Santa Cruz
And en route to his uber fights with the likes of Roach Jr., as well as controversial rival Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero, Davis had to overcome some stark adversity.
Putting his WBA lightweight crown up for grabs, Davis vied for the WBA super featherweight title, too, taking on Mexican star Leo Santa Cruz in a trip to Texas in 2020, with his foe suffering just one loss in 39 fights.
Eventually launching a horrifying Knockout of the Year finish over Santa Cruz after connecting flush with a brutal uppercut, Davis was himself sent to the canvas in the early goings.
Hit with a left hook from Santa Cruz, Davis touched the canvas after stumbling backwards — judged by the referee to have slipped, and saving him from a career-first knockdown.
And four years removed from the brutal finish of Santa Cruz, Davis, who holds his fair share of knockout victories, described that win in particular as his favorite.
Gervonta Davis reveals motivation to beat Leo Santa Cruz
Springboarding off his win over Santa Cruz into a title fight with Mario Barrios — who welcomed the iconic Manny Pacquiao back to the ring earlier this year, Davis would prevail with a penultimate round knockout win, too.
However, despite a litany of knockouts littered on his near-spotless pro résumé, Davis claimed his finish of Santa Cruz is the victory that stands out in his mind front and center.
“I would say Leo Santa Cruz,” Davis told Premier Boxing Champions when asked for his favorite career knockout. “In training camp, I was running every day for Leo, every single day, for probably two or three months.
“…I had to pick my shots, because of what type of fighter he was — he’s not gonna stop,” Davis continued. “…I was ready for everything he threw.”