Gervonta Davis Eyeing 2027 Comeback — And His Coach Says He's Staying at 135

Gervonta Davis has boxed exactly once since June 2024, and that lone outing was a majority draw with Lamont Roach Jr. that barely kept his 30-0-1 (28 KO) record and WBA lightweight title intact. Now his coach, Kenny Ellis, has put a timeline on the comeback: early 2027, with a return to the gym once Davis clears some legal matters on his end.

That inactivity has already cost him. The 26-month gap since his last win — a stoppage of Frank Martin — saw the WBA strip him of full champion status and drop him to champion-in-recess. His old belt is now up for grabs next month between Floyd Schofield (19-0, 13 KO) and Lucas Bahdi (20-0, 15 KO), two unbeaten men fighting for the strap Davis vacated by absence.

Why He's Staying at Lightweight

The obvious question is what weight Tank comes back at. Ellis expects him to stay at 135, and he pointed to Davis' own words as evidence. After Davis moved up to 140 to face Mario Barrios, he told the post-fight interviewer he was heading back down because he didn't belong up there. Ellis framed it plainly: Davis isn't scared of super-lightweight, he just isn't big enough for it.

That closes the door — for now — on the fight a lot of fans actually want: a rematch with Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz at 140. The first meeting was one of Davis' more competitive nights, and a sequel had legs. But if the coach's read holds, that's not the direction.

The Realistic Path Back

Stay at lightweight and the cleanest route back to a belt is the Schofield-Bahdi winner. Schofield, ranked #7, is coming off a first-round demolition of Tevin Farmer. Bahdi, at #10, edged Roger Gutiérrez on the cards. Either would be favored to lose against a fully sharp Tank, but neither is a walkover for a man who hasn't won in over two years.

There's also the ghost of a Vasyl Lomachenko fight, long discussed and never made, which Ellis floated as a possibility if Davis holds at 135. Whether any of it happens depends on Davis handling his own business first. For a fighter ranked #3 in the division with 28 knockouts on his ledger, the tools aren't the problem. The ring rust and the calendar are.