Home

Boxing

Abdul Wahid (Formerly Gervonta Davis) vs. Conor Benn Stats Comparison: Who Is the Better Boxer?

Published 02/05/2024, 8:10 AM EST

Follow Us

via Imago

Not long ago, Conor Benn could not find a fight or an opponent. However, look at him now! The English fighter has two callouts after he defeated Peter Dobson via unanimous decision. One from Gervonta Davis and the other from Devin Haney! Meanwhile, by the looks of things, he is going after ‘Tank’ Davis, which came after an X (formerly Twitter) banter! 

Even Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has confirmed that the fight is happening. The goal for Davis, aka Abdul Wahid, seems to be to make an easy tune-up fight after his long break from boxing. However, the bigger question is – will the fight be as easy as most people think? Here’s a deep dive into the analysis of both fighters to determine who the better pugilist is.

Gervonta Davis vs. Conor Benn: Title fights

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

After starting his career in February 2013, the current WBA lightweight champion had to wait 17 fights to get his first IBF title clash against Jose Pedraza. Going into the fight, Davis was the opposite of the crowd favorite, but Davis’ punching power prevailed as he took down the then-undefeated Pedraza in the seventh round. The Baltimore resident remains undefeated to this day and holds a pristine 29-0 record, seven of which came against undefeated boxers. 

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Boxing stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Meanwhile, Conor Benn is also undefeated with fewer fights but still an impressive 23-0 record! However, the Londoner hasn’t fought in a title fight yet, and neither has he ever held any of the four major belts. However, Benn has held the WBA Continental (Europe) welterweight title and has defended it twice. So, from the perspective of titles held, Davis gets a point!

Physical Analysis

‘Tank’ Davis is a southpaw and stands at 5′ 5½″ height with 67½″ reach. Whereas, ‘The Destroyer’ Benn is 5′ 8″ tall orthodox fighter with 68.0″ reach. So, both height and reach advantage go to Benn. However, Davis has often used his shorter height to duck under punches and get inside his opponent’s defense, something Ryan Garcia learned the hard way! 

via Imago

However, given Benn’s physical advantage and Davis’ move up the weight division, things are more complicated than it may appear. Benn is an aggressive fighter, so Davis may take a more defensive approach as he did against Garcia. On top of that, Davis is a really good strategic fighter well versed in handling opponents of varied styles. Whereas Benn tends to rely on his power too often, giving the edge to Gervonta Davis overall.

Competition faced

The competence of a fighter is frequently gauged by the level of competition they have encountered throughout their career and how they came out victorious. For Gervonta Davis, the list is extraordinarily long! Besides the previously mentioned Pedraza, the Baltimore native fought Léo Santa Cruz, a solid opponent from Mexico, and rendered him useless in the sixth round of the fight via knockout.

Moreover, Davis’ hardest challenge came in the form of Isaac Cruz, who put on a fantastic performance against Davis. However, Davis managed to tame ‘The Pitbull’ via unanimous decision. On the other hand, Benn’s list of formidable opponents includes Sebastian Formella. The fight went the distance, and Benn won via unanimous decision. Benn also took on Chris Algieri, beating him via fourth-round knockout. 

Considering all the opponents from both sides, Davis has not only faced the more difficult fighters but has also defeated them in a superior fashion. It’s especially evident in their knockout ratio – Davis’ 93.1 KO ratio towers over Benn’s 60.87 KO ratio. 

Gervonta Davis & Conor Benn: Technical skills

The technical skills boxers display in the ring can give an early indication of who will emerge victorious in a fight. There’s no doubt that Benn is a powerful puncher and likes to take the fight to his opponent and overwhelm them with pressure. However, Davis has his way of dealing with aggressive fighters. Davis is a defensive counterpuncher who takes a lot of shots in the early rounds. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, he does this to asses his opponents! Davis likes to throw less volume of punches, often hiding behind his jabs. But he reserves the one heavy shot for the right moment that can demolish his opponents. This fighting style also got him the moniker of ‘Tank.’ What’s more, Davis’ hardest opponent by far was Isaac Cruz, and Davis was able to handle Cruz because of his fighting style. So, even in technical skills, Davis gets the point. 

Gervonta Davis Slams Conor Benn Just After Showing Interest in Fight

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

At the end of it all, experts are the best judge of who is the best fighter! And Gervonta Davis has often been the go-to choice for most pundits in the sport. Whether during the fight against Garcia or in the fight against Cruz, Davis has often been the pick for most people. He is even touted as the face of boxing in the current era! So, numbers and the resumes of the boxers suggest Gervonta Davis is the better boxer. However, only time will tell what happens in the ring because crazier things have happened in the sport. Who do you think would win the fight? Benn, the brawler, or Davis, the methodical prodigy!

Watch This Story: Gervonta Davis Knockouts: Five Times ‘Tank’ Annihilated His Opponents

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sudeep Sinha

1,185Articles

One take at a time

The first time boxing captured my attention, it was because of a line I heard in the film 'Rocky Balboa', a film surrounding boxing. The line went like this, "But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
Show More>

Edited by:

Snigdhaa Jaiswal