By Cliff Rold

Going on the road can be tough in boxing. Sometimes the best thing to do is get it over with quickly. 22-year old IBF super featherweight titlist Gerona Davis (18-0, 17 KO), 130, of Baltimore, Maryland, did just that on Saturday in the Copper Box Arena in London, England, dominating and stopping 30-year old challenger Liam Walsh (21-1, 14 KO), 130, of Cromer, Norfolk, United Kingdom, for a third round stoppage win. The referee was Michael Alexander.

It was Davis’s first successful defense of the belt he won in January with a dominant stoppage of Jose Pedraza.

If the young man they call “Tank” had any nerves, he didn’t show them. Following an elaborate ring entrance, Davis came right out at the opening bell and appeared the more relaxed man. Walsh, fighting in front of partisans, was jumpy in the first, respectful of the power of Davis while trying to find a home for his jab. Davis worked the head and body with his southpaw lead right.

Walsh warmed in the second, landing a combination while Davis kept getting closer with heavy bombs. Davis finally found the target flush in the third, dropping and badly hurting Walsh. The local favorite rose on unsteady legs, Alexander taking a healthy look at him and asking him to raise his guard to continue. Walsh did so, even his arms rubbery, and Davis stepped in for the finish. A short, explosive attack drove Walsh to the ropes and it was all Alexander needed to see, halting the action at 2:11 of round three.   

Davis returns home free of a mandatory obligation and with momentum, a strong potential future star on the American scene.

The bout was televised in the US on Showtime, promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Frank Warren.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com