Boxing
Report: Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz moving to Halloween with limited fans in attendance
One of boxing's most significant fights in the final quarter of 2020 is getting shifted to a new date, along with an added wrinkle.
The Athletic reports the pay-per-view fight between WBA (regular) lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and WBA (super) junior lightweight champion Leo Santa Cruz has been shifted from Oct. 24 to one week later on Halloween night on Oct. 31. The bout had been expected to occur at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., but now will reside at the Alamodome in San Antonio with limited fans in attendance.
A Showtime official couldn't confirm the report to DAZN News, but did say the venue is being finalized.
Sporting events in Texas are allowing 25 percent capacity in select areas at venues due to the coronavirus pandemic. That includes Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas — the home to the Texas Rangers, which is hosting the World Series at the end of October. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Wednesday around 11,500 tickets will be made available.
Davis-Santa Cruz had been set to be on the same day as UFC 254, featuring one of combat sports' biggest stars, Khabib Nurmagomedov, defending his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje. The UFC 254 main card begins at 2 p.m. ET and Davis vs. Santa Cruz was earmarked to occur in the evening.
Davis (23-0, 22 KOs), who is rapidly becoming one of boxing's biggest box office attractions, returns for the first time in 2020 in his pay-per-view debut as a headliner. "Tank" is coming off a banner 2019, competing three times and winning all of them via stoppage, including his last outing when he moved up to lightweight to stop Yuriorkis Gamboa by 12th-round TKO.
Like Davis, Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) will also be making his PPV debut as a main eventer. In November, Santa Cruz last stepped inside the ring, defeating Miguel Flores via unanimous decision to capture the WBA belt and became a four-division world champion in the process.
