What Davis said and why he said it

“It’s been a long time since my last game and tonight,” Davis said. “There were a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs and nights where I really didn’t want to do it anymore.”

He explained that the brutal ending was something he had been pursuing for years. “I’ve always dreamed of knocking out in the 12th round,” he said. “So to do that when I come back, in front of 20,000 fans, against an opponent like Jermaine Ortiz, that’s God.”

He then made the argument he clearly wanted people to remember. “My last three opponents who had never been stopped before, never been taken down before, Lemos, Belinchik and now Ortiz, I made weight and stopped them. I mean it. Put anybody in front of me and I’m going to stop them.”

This is not reflection. This is positioning.

Haney, Crocker, Smith and the real goal

After a week of back-and-forth discussions, Davis didn’t hesitate when Devin Haney’s name came up. When asked what would happen if they fought, he replied: “A knockout.”

This answer works very well. It also skips over the size gap and the fact that Haney is no longer a lightweight. To make this fight work, money and agreements are needed, not rankings.

Davis also has his sights set on England. He said he has been in talks with Eddie Hearn and named IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker and WBC welterweight champion Dalton Smith as options.

“He had the belt I wanted,” Davis said, referring to Crocker.

This sentence illustrates the direction. The straps can still move the door. UK headline news pays well. Crocker and Smith both bring full-time realities that Davis has yet to face.

What happens next, no fantasy

Davis still retains WBO lightweight status, but boxing Ortiz’s weight class complicates his path back to the mandatory order. The sanctioning body allows flexibility when fees remain active, rather than when the sector stagnates.

The Haney fight will be based on image and money. A fight with Smith or Crocker would likely pit Davis against those at the same weight without the advantages of being the bigger fighter.

The power of late is real. Great confidence. Once your opponent stops giving up turns early, the stakes rise dramatically. Against the existing 140 or 147 fighters, Davis will have to win the final round moments the hard way rather than relying on talk first to soften the ground.