Boxing’s biggest August winners and losers: Gervonta Davis gets his payday and Moses Itauma breaks out

Boxing took its traditional summer hiatus very seriously this year, seeing limited action stretched across a quiet August, but that doesn’t mean Uncrowned’s winners and losers column also booked a holiday.

Give us a chance to hand out a thumbs up or thumbs down and we’ll grab it with both … thumbs … with some repeated offenders making August’s list, plus some unlucky debutants.

Let’s take a look.

WINNERS

Moses Itauma

“Moses” and “Itauma” were the two big buzzwords of boxing’s August.

The 20-year-old blitzed Dillian Whyte in 119 heavyweight seconds in emphatic style, and in doing so, became the chosen one to rule the division for the next two decades.

OK, the hyperbole may have gone into overdrive, but Itauma appears to have the whole package: He’s building his résumé, passing the eye test with flying colors and is entering an aging division awaiting a new king.

How he’s matched in the coming months will be crucial to his development — something that Queensberry’s Frank Warren is well versed in doing.

But barring pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk, you’d be hard-pressed to find an opponent Itauma wouldn’t start as a betting favorite against, just 13 fights into his professional career.

Nick Ball

Britain’s only male world champion, Nick Ball, clung onto his title in a 12-round unanimous decision win over Sam Goodman on the Itauma vs. Whyte undercard, registering his fourth win in a compact 14 months.

The pocket-sized “Wrecking” Ball was a little more controlled and a lot less wild than in previous contests, leaning on his experience in the second half of the fight to run away with the argument.

Ball, 28, is now unbeaten after 24 pro outings and is still flirting with the allure of a potential meeting with Naoya Inoue.

The Liverpudlian is banking on the featherweight division being a jump too far for the Japanese “Monster” for a fight that could well materialize in 2026.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis

By landing an exhibition fight on Netflix (on Nov. 14) against the new money-man of the sport, Jake Paul, Gervonta “Tank” Davis has swallowed his competitive pride for a heavy paycheck.

It’s hard to be surprised.

Davis’ career — inside and outside of the ring — has been spiraling out of control for a number of years now, so to expect him to follow the traditional paths of the sport was naive.

Paul called and Davis answered.

The fight will be a confusing freak show where a result is unlikely to be awarded, but with minimal risk and maximum rewards, it’s impossible not to judge Davis as a winner in this scenario before the opening bell has been rung.

Jake Paul and Netflix continue to do big business together.

(Noam Galai via Getty Images)

Jake Paul

Davis’ dance partner continues to write headline after headline in the sport.

Jake Paul is becoming more and more powerful in the fight game and harder and harder to ignore; his methods may be controversial, but you can rarely argue with his results.

Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions continues to gobble up the creme de la creme of women’s boxing, and when he decides to take to the ring himself, Paul’s fights are guaranteed to pull the biggest viewing figures.

At age 28, the “Problem Child” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and following his bout with Davis in November, talks are already expected to resume for a fight with heavyweight Anthony Joshua.

Filip Hrgovic

Filip Hrgovic came through fire and blood in Riyadh to notch one of the standout wins of his career, dropping David Adeleye on the way to a wide unanimous decision and hanging on to his secondary WBO heavyweight title.

The Croatian was made to work for it. A nasty gash over his right eyelid — opened by Adeleye’s stiff jab in the second — threatened to derail him before the contest had even caught fire, but he was patched up and able to make the key breakthrough in the eighth round.

Hrgovic went on to win the contest pretty wide on the scorecards, positioning himself as one of the best second-tier heavyweights in the mix at present.

With a solitary defeat to Daniel Dubois on Hrgovic’ ledger, there will be plenty of big names calling him out over the next 12 months, looking to use his name to springboard them into title pictures — but he’s proven that he’ll be no walkover.

LOSERS

Dillian Whyte

Dillian Whyte won’t be willing to admit it just yet, but his one-round demolition at the hands of Itauma spelled the end for his career as a headliner.

Whyte never got going in Riyadh, looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and despite appearing to be in the best shape of his career, fought like a shell of the man who battled his way to a world title shot just a few years ago.

He’s still considered a big name in the United Kingdom, but his options as an A-side fighter are looking very thin on the ground — it’s more of a case of whom he’ll be fed to next.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis

What do you mean Davis can’t be on both lists?

Last time I checked, I made the rules around here, and “Tank” is more than deserving of a spot on both sides of August’s coin.

It’s almost a compliment calling Davis a “loser” for selling out and taking this mismatch contest against Jake Paul.

Davis had a chance to be one of this generation’s greatest fighters, but seems more determined to piss the biggest and best opportunities up the wall rather than hone his undeniable craft.

Davis will celebrate his 31st birthday a week before his date with Jake Paul and, with “Tank” himself alluding to retirement, time is almost up on a career that promised so much.

Lamont Roach Jr.

Paul and Davis’ gain is Lamont Roach Jr.’s loss.

It’s no fault of his own that he has become the collateral damage in the making of November’s circus bout.

Back on March 1, Roach battled Davis to a majority draw in a fight many ringside felt he’d won. The result sparked debate, but little resolution. While he insisted Davis was tied to a rematch by contract, Roach’s focus has now been forced to shift; rather than waiting on a return bout that may never come, he’s already scanning the horizon for the next challenge.

“I’m accepting the fact that he is literally scared to get back in the ring with me,” Roach said recently. “I saw something like this coming, just getting out of the fight with me.

“With a YouTuber too, pretty insane.”

The collapse of the Davis rematch has, however, spawned an unlikely chance for Roach to mix it with IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins.

The pair exchanged recent messages on social media and seemingly agreed to a contest for Hitchins’ 140-pound title.

That means we are definitely getting it, right?

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of a Mexican boxing icon, is awaiting trial on accusations of involvement with cartels and illegally trafficking arms into Mexico.

I think that’s probably the dictionary definition of “losing” the month.

The 39-year-old former middleweight contender was deported to Mexico from the United States in August, and has recently been released from custody in northern Mexico while he awaits trial.

Chavez Jr. was last seen in the ring in June, losing a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in the 63rd bout of his professional career.

His next hearing will be on Nov. 24, and if found guilty, could face up to eight years behind bars.

Kenshiro Teraji

Ricardo Rafael Sandoval ripped up the script in Yokohama, Japan, climbing off the canvas to snatch Kenshiro Teraji’s WBC and WBA flyweight crowns in a stirring upset.

The 26-year-old Californian was forced to show grit in the fifth when Teraji floored him, but rather than unravel, Sandoval bit down and pressed forward. What followed was a grueling back-and-forth, the challenger matching the two-weight champion shot for shot until the judges sided his way.

For Teraji, 33, it was a rare stumble. A veteran of unification nights across two divisions, he tasted defeat for only the second time — and for the first since 2021. The loss leaves him at a crossroads, with questions over whether he’ll chase redemption at flyweight or seek a new chapter higher up.

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