Bradley turned the same challenge to Davis. “Now you lose, player, you lose,” he said. “Take this chance, man. Take the risk.”

The former two-division champion believes Davis has proven he belongs at the highest level. He pointed to Davis’ wins over Ryan Garcia, Mario Barrios and Rolando Romero as a reminder that Davis has defeated opponents who continue to headline major events without him.

“Guess who knocked him out?” Bradley said of Garcia. “Tank Davis.”

The former ESPN analyst emphasized that the issue is not ability but ambition. In his opinion, a fully committed Davis will “completely turn this game around.” Much to his dismay, he has not been a consistent presence in some of the most dangerous fights in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, including Shakur Stevenson and Vasily Lomachenko.

Bradley’s appeal ran into a longer-term reality, however. Since moving to lightweight in 2019, Davis hasn’t been pursuing the toughest opponents. His schedule consists mostly of hand-picked games rather than extended matchups against the division’s toughest competition. Talk of a fight with Stevenson never progressed, while other emerging contenders such as Floyd Schofield remained out of his path.

Gervonta’s most recent draw against Lamont Roach included a series of contested knee touches and a brief pause for hair grease, exacerbating issues around focus and preparation after long periods of inactivity.

A sudden change in approach would go against everything Davis has shown since entering the division. His matches followed a steady pattern that resulted in wins and substantial earnings, but weren’t the repetitive high-end tests Bradley was calling for. Bradley’s message was straightforward: Punch power and selective dominance are not the same as sustained elite competition, and that difference will ultimately determine how Davis is remembered.