Gervonta Davis And Leo Santa Cruz Discuss Upcoming Bout

NEW YORK - October 6, 2020 - Three-time world champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis and four-division world champion Leo "El Terremoto" Santa Cruz previewed their highly anticipated battle for the WBA Super Featherweight and WBA Lightweight Championships during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

Two of the sport's most exciting fighters, Davis vs. Santa Cruz will headline a SHOWTIME PPV Saturday, October 31 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

The fighters were joined Tuesday by Mayweather Promotions President and all-time great Floyd Mayweather amongst the participants previewing the event during the virtual press conference.

The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promotions, GTD Promotions and Santa Cruz Boxing Club. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. The Alamodome has implemented a comprehensive health and safety plan to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. All fans attending the event will be screened upon entry and are required to wear a mask as well as follow social distancing guidelines. Tickets will be distributed in seat blocks known as "pods" to maintain distance between groups not from the same party. For more information, visit Alamodome.com

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Tuesday:

GERVONTA DAVIS

"I brought my camp to Las Vegas and have trained more than eight weeks for this fight, because I know that I'm fighting a top-notch fighter. Leo comes to fight. He brings pressure and he's a high-volume puncher.

"I'm having my camp here so I can stay focused on just boxing. I'm close to my Mayweather team and I have Floyd in the gym with me more. I'm grateful for having Floyd here to help me tweak things that will help me fight better against Leo.

"We have more than five sparring partners just to make sure I'm more than well prepared. My coach Calvin Ford keeps me focused day-to-day so that I'm able to give the fans a great, exciting fight.

"At the end of the day, the fans are going to win. We're two elite fighters matching up. This could be one of those fights that you'll always remember. I'm grateful to be in this position and I'm ready.

"I'm thankful to Leo for stepping up and calling me out. He wants to test himself out. It shows me that he has a lot of heart and he wants to fight the best. The winner of this should be up there in the pound-for-pound rankings. The winner takes it all on October 31.

"Floyd's been there coaching me through what comes with having my first pay-per-view main event fight. There's a lot of pressure on me and you have to live up to fighting on pay-per-view so you can fight on pay-per-view again. When I'm down or anything like that, he's able to push me, because he's been there before. There are things that only Floyd can tell me about because he has that experience.

"This camp has been great for me. I'm already on weight. I've just been working hard. We're not worrying about weight. We're worrying about giving Leo Santa Cruz a great fight on October 31.

"Most fighters don't last to the second half of the fight against me. Jose Pedraza brought pressure against me and he got stopped in round seven. He can say what he wants, but he has to prove it on October 31.

"I believe I can stay at 130 after this fight, but if there's a fight worth going to 135, I'll do that. Right now, I'm just focused on Leo and becoming a pay-per-view star.

"I have a lot left to show in the ring and Leo is going to bring the best out of me. We just have to wait and see. I've been working hard every day sparring bigger and smaller guys. I'm prepared for anything. We know he's coming to fight. We want to give everyone a great show. It's going to be a spooky night on Halloween.

"As a professional, you have to be ready no matter what. You have to adapt to whatever comes your way. I've been working out for three months every day, just to prepare for this. I'm more grateful to be in this position than anything. I'm so focused on what's in front of me, and that's getting past Leo.

"I can't say if he can take my power until we get in there. I'm working hard in camp so that I can show my appreciation with a great performance. Come October 31, you definitely won't want to miss it."

LEO SANTA CRUZ

"I feel really great. This camp has been perfect. I feel strong and I'm very motivated. My dad and my brothers have been helping me out. It's really the best camp I've had and I'm in the best shape of my career.

"This is a hard fight. It's the toughest fight of my career. We're facing a tough fighter with great skills. I know he's going to come with everything he has and be at his best.

"I'm determined to go beat 'Tank' so I can say that I beat one of the best fighters in the world. I want to give the fans a great fight. This is a big opportunity for me to become a superstar. It's an opportunity for 'Tank' too, so I know we're both going to go out there and give it our all for the fans.

"We've been sparring with bigger guys who fight at 147 pounds. I think that's going to make me able to take his punches. I'm eating a little better and feeling strong. I'm doing everything I can to be able to take his punches.

"Davis is a strong fighter, especially in the first five rounds. He's always dangerous, but if I see him gassing out, I'm going to pressure him and break him down. I think that I can frustrate him.

"I believe the winner of this fight is pound-for-pound top 10. Nobody wants to fight 'Tank' Davis and I chose to fight him. If I beat him, I know that everyone will have to say that I'm one of the best fighters in the world.

"I think my future will be at 130 pounds. I want to defend the title and unify but if there's a fight that makes sense at 135 pounds, I'll definitely take it.

"There's no concern from us about his weight. He's been training hard and he looks like he's in good shape. He fought during Christmas last time, but I know this time he'll be ready.

"The only concern my team had at the beginning was whether he'd make weight, but that isn't a concern anymore. We're working hard in the gym on how to avoid the big shots. We know we have to fight a perfect fight and that's what we're going to do.

"We have to fight from the outside because we know that 'Tank' can hit. But I always try to give the fans a great fight, so there's going to be times I'm brawling with him. We're going to go back and forth. If I feel like I can take his punches, I'm going to be right in his face."