Boxing

Oscar De La Hoya Slams Door Shut On Jake Paul's Reported Gervonta Davis Backup Plan

Jake Paul seemed to have a new opponent in mind in the wake of a domestic violence lawsuit against Gervonta Davis before that potential pursuit went sour.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / Goal Sports Images

On October 30, news broke that WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis had a lawsuit filed against him by his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Rossel. The lawsuit accused Davis of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The lawsuit noted that Rossel worked as a VIP cocktail waitress at a gentlemen's club called Tootsies in Miami, Florida. On October 27, Davis allegedly entered the club and attacked Rossel. She accused Davis of choking, grabbing, and dragging her through several places in and around the club, and then beating her in the parking garage.

What's more, the lawsuit asserted that David had abused Rossel several other times, including on September 23, when he allegedly threatened her by texting "I'll kill you." That same day, Davis allegedly accused Rossel of infidelity before physically assaulting her in a restaurant called Playa Miami.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis during an April 20, 2023 press conference.
Gervonta "Tank" Davis during an April 20, 2023 press conference. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

MVP's Statement on Gervonta Davis Domestic Violence Lawsuit

Given the gravity of these allegations and the lawsuit, it's no surprise to know that Davis' scheduled exhibition fight against Jake Paul on November 14 is now up in the air.

This was confirmed by a November 1 X post from Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), which is promoting the fight against Davis, that read, "Most Valuable Promotions initiated an investigation upon learning of the civil lawsuit filed against Gervonta Davis in Miami-Dade County on October 30, 2025.

"At this time, we are gathering information and reviewing the details to ensure any decision we make is thoroughly vetted. We unequivocally condemn any form of violence and are committed to handling this matter with diligence and respect for all involved," it continued.

"We will make a determination on next steps once we have completed our review and consulted with the appropriate parties. Until then, we will now be commenting further," it concluded.

Jake Paul Eyes Ryan Garcia, Oscar De La Hoya slams door shut

While MVP's statement didn't mention this, it appears that Jake Paul is already moving away from Davis and trying to find a new opponent.

This was confirmed by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, who made an X post on October 31 that read, "Representatives for Jake Paul have made an offer for Ryan Garcia to fight Paul in December, two sources with knowledge of the offer told @SINow. Garcia is not the only opponent Paul’s team has approached, as they aggressively pursue a replacement for Gervonta Davis."

The fact that Paul would pivot to fighting Garcia (who lost to Davis via TKO in 2023) is fascinating. It shows that he's committed to fighting another one of boxing's biggest stars, and wants that star to be much smaller than him, like Davis was (presumably because that's the type of fighter he has been training for).

However, Oscar De La Hoya (who is under contract as Garcia's promoter at Golden Boy) uploaded a video to Instagram on November 1 that slammed the door shut on a potential Paul vs Garcia fight.

In the clip, De La Hoya says, "So I wake up to calls from reporters asking me about Jake Paul and Ryan Garcia. Let me just tell you why this fight is not going to happen. Ryan Garcia fights for DAZN. And Jake Paul fights on Netflix. I mean, that's pretty much the bottom line."

"Golden Boy has a contract with DAZN. Ryan Garcia has a contract with Golden Boy. And that's just the way it is. I mean, this is business. Ryan's probably going to go around saying, 'Oh, you're keeping me from making money.' No, you have to go by the law, by the rules. You have a contract with DAZN. You have a contract with Golden Boy. It just doesn't happen that way," he added.

It sounds like Paul will need to seek out another dancing partner if he wants to replace Davis.

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Grant Young
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Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.